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THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 


b 


The  Prince  begins  his  journey  through  the  caverns. 


The  FIRELIGHT 
FAIRY   BOOK 

By  HENRY  B.   BESTON  _■'• 


ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 
MAURICE  E.  DAY 


The  ATLANTIC  MONTHLY   PRESS,    Inc. 
BOSTON 


COPYRIGHT,  1919,  BY  THE  ATLANTIC  MONTHLY  PRESS,  Inc. 

All  rights  reserved,  including  that  of  translation 
into  foreign  languages,  including  the  Scandinavian. 


PRINTED  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


FOREWORD 

J 

THE  ASSISTANT  SECRETARY  OF  THE  NAVY 
Washington,  September  7,  1922 

Dear  Henry: — 

" Grown-ups"  arrogate  entirely  too  much  to  them- 
selves. I  know  this  is  so.  I  discovered  it  for  a  fact 
when  I  was  not  more  than  "  knee-high  to  a  grasshop- 
per" myself.  I  knew,  for  example,  that  a  certain 
amount  of  dirt  on  my  face  and  hands  in  no  way 
interfered  with  my  enjoyment  of  my  supper.  The 
fact  that  my  finger  nails  were  not  all  they  should 
have  been  had  no  bearing  whatsoever  upon  the  effi- 
ciency of  those  same  fingers.  Washing  not  only  took 
time  from  other  important  pursuits,  but  also  was 
mildly  unpleasant.  Nevertheless,  my  mother  was 
not  even  open  to  reasonable  argument  on  the  mat- 
ter. Arbitrarily,  with  the  despotism  of  an  early 
Roman  Emperor,  she  rendered  a  dictum  to  the  effect 
that  I  must  wash,  and  soapy  and  submissive  I  had  to 
be  before  I  could  come  to  the  table.  Again,  any 
reasonable  child  can  tell  you  that  pleasure  is  the  main 
object  of  eating;  therefore,  in  all  logic,  one  should 
eat  if  one  feels  like  it  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
or  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  a  jar  of  Guava 
jelly,  a  pound  of  chocolates,  a  paper  of  ginger  cook- 
ies, or  whatever  may  appeal  to  one's  aesthetic  taste. 
This  method  of  procedure,  naturally,  might  necessi- 
tate  recourse  to  the  brown-wood  family  medicine 


closet.  Certain  discomfort  might  ensue.  But  was 
not  the  pleasure  worth  it?  Again  my  mother  arbi- 
trarily took  the  matter  into  her  own  hands,  disagree- 
ing with  me  on  fundamentals.  She  maintained  that 
eating  was  not  for  pleasure  simply,  but  for  nourish- 
ment. Sundry  unfortunate  remarks  were  made  con- 
taining references  to  gluttony.  The  pantry  was 
locked,  and  regular  meals  at  regular  periods  were 
prescribed.  Indeed,  poems  with  dreadful  morals 
for  those  who  ate  between  meals  were  recited  to  me, 
endeavor  being  made  thereby  to  substitute  terror 
for  inclination. 

Any  reasonable  child  will  find  many  such  parallel 
instances  of  the  assumed  omnipotence  of  "  grown- 
ups." With  this  awful  indictment  before  me,  you 
ask  me,  a  " grown-up,"  to  write  an  introduction  for 
the  " Firelight  Fairy  Book,"  and  thereby  to  assume 
the  responsibility  for  passing  judgment  upon  it. 
There  is  but  one  circumstance  that  makes  me  willing 
to  do  so.  I  believe  that  where  any  nice  " grown-up" 
is  concerned,  if  you  crack  the  hard  outside  shell  with 
which  circumstances  have  surrounded  him,  beneath 
it  you  will  find  a  child.  Banking  on  this,  I  venture 
to  say  that  I  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  "Firelight 
Fairy  Book."  I  liked  particularly  the  story  of  the 
poor  little  prince,  whose  sneezing  had  such  a  disas- 
trous effect;  and  the  lost  half  hour  is  unquestionably 
an  accurate  historical  account,  because  no  one  could 
have  described  so  accurately,  simply  from  imagina- 


tion,  what  a  lost  temper  looked  like.  What  makes 
me  even  more  willing  to  advance  my  opinion  is  that 
I  do  not  stand  alone.  My  conclusions  are  supported 
by  a  jury  of  my  peers,  for  I  have  given  the  book  as  a 
Christmas  gift,  not  only  to  my  own  children,  but  to 
other  people's  children,  and  to  one  of  the  prominent 
Senators  of  the  United  States.  They  have  univer- 
sally acclaimed  it,  and  who  can  question  the  judg- 
ment of  such  a  jury? 

Good  luck  to  the  " Firelight  Fairy  Book."  May 
it,  like  Scrooge's  laugh  in  the  "Christmas  Carol," 
"be  the  father  of  a  long,  long  line  of  brilliant"  books 
of  a  like  nature  for  the  enjoyment  of  all  true  chil- 
dren, whether  they  be  still  at  day  school,  or  sitting 
in  the  high  places  of  the  world. 

Believe  me, 

Yours  very  truly, 

Theodore  Roosevelt 

Henry  Beston,  Esq.  ^  \  \ii    \^'oli  t  iC 

Topsfield,  Mass. 


HOW  THE  NEW  FAIRY  TALES 
CAME  TO  BE  WRITTEN 

Some  twenty  years  ago,  in  a  pleasant  old  town  by 
the  sea,  lived  a  lad  who  was  very,  very  fond  of  fairy 
tales.  When  he  had  read  all  the  fairy-books  which 
his  parents  and  his  uncles  and  his  cousins  and  his 
sisters  and  his  aunts  had  been  kind  enough  to  give 
him,  he  turned  to  the  town  library  and  read  every 
single  fairy  tale  he  could  find  mentioned  in  the  cata- 
logue. But  there  was  an  end  even  to  this  treasure; 
and,  finally,  a  day  came  when  the  fairy-tale  lover 
could  find  no  new  tales  to  read.  Every  Christmas  he 
would  peek  at  the  new  books  in  the  bookshops,  only 
to  find  the  same  old  stories  printed,  with  new  pict- 
ures, meant  to  please  grown-ups.  What  could  be  the 
matter?  Had  the  fairies  all  gone  away,  or  locked  the 
doors  of  Fairyland?  Where,  where,  where  were  the 
new  stories,  and  why,  why,  why  did  n't  people  write 
them? 

Some  years  passed.  One  pleasant  summer  day,  as 
the  fairy-tale  lover  sat  reading  a  book  beneath  the 
low  spreading  branches  of  an  oak  tree,  he  heard  a 
hum  of  wings,  and  looking  up  startled  from  his  book, 
he  discovered  the  Fairy  Goldenwand  standing  close 
by. 

"Are  you  still  seeking  new  fairy  tales?"  said  the 
Fairy  Goldenwand. 

"Yes,"  said  the  reader. 


"  Will  you  write  them  down  if  I  tell  you  some  really 
new  ones?"  said  the  Fairy. 

"Oh  yes,  indeed/'  said  the  reader.  "And  I'll  put 
them  into  a  book;  and  next  Saturday  Mr.  Day,  the  art- 
ist, will  come  down;  we  shall  have  tea  here  under  the 
oak  tree, —  do  you  like  hot  buttered  toast? —  and  you 
must  tell  him  all  about  the  fashions  in  Fairyland." 

"Oh,  that  will  be  fine!"  said  the  Fairy  Golden- 
wand.  "I  knew  you  wouldn't  mind  my  appearing 
so  suddenly.  Ever  so  many  things  have  happened 
in  Fairyland  since  the  last  books  were  written,  and 
we  all  think  it's  a  dreadful  shame  that  children 
have  n't  heard  about  them.  Just  imagine  boys  and 
girls  not  knowing  about  the  adventures  of  the  Prince 
in  Lantern  Land!     Shall  I  tell  you  the  story?" 

And  that's  the  way  the  author  heard  about  the 
Shepherd  of  Clouds,  Florian,  Marianna,  Giles,  Bobo, 
and  all  the  other  new  friends.  That  you  may  long 
enjoy  their  adventures  is  the  wish  of 

Henry  B.  Beston 

Maurice  E.  Day 

The  Fairy  Goldenwand 


The   Parson  Capen  House 
Topsfield,  Massachusetts 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

THE  QUEEN  OF  LANTERN  LAND     ....  1 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  FLORIAN          ...  20 

THE  SELLER  OF  DREAMS 43 

THE  TREASURE  CASTLE        ......  57 

PRINCE  SNEEZE 70 

MARIANNA 89 

.THE  LOST  HALF-HOUR 107 

THE  ENCHANTED  ELM 127 

THE  BIRD -BOY 141 

THE  MASTER  MARINER 154 

THE  MARVELOUS  DOG  AND  THE 

WONDERFUL  CAT         ......  175 

THE  SHEPHERD  OF  CLOUDS         ....  197 

THE  CITY  UNDER  THE  SEA 218 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


THE  QUEEN  OF  LANTERN  LAND 

The  Prince  begins  his  journey  through  the  caverns  . 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  FLORIAN 

Over  hill,  over  dale,  F lor  ian  followed  the  magic  ball    . 

THE  SELLER  OF  DREAMS 

iiHow  much  does  a  dream  cost?''''  asked  Peter 

"A  golden  florin,"  answered  the  Seller  of  Dreams  . 

THE  TREASURE  CASTLE 

The  three  rogues  were  locked  in  the  flying  room  . 

PRINCE  SNEEZE 

The  chest  of  secrets  was  made  of  black  stone      . 

MARIANNA 

Into  the  world  went  Marianna  and  the  yellow  bird 

THE  LOST  HALF- HOUR 

Just  as  the  dragon  s  mouth  w>as  at  its  widest   .... 

THE  ENCHANTED  ELM 

The  maiden  watched  the  woodcutters  coming  through  the  wood 

THE  BIRD -BOY 

Every  year,  on  the  Bird-Boy' 's  birthday,  a  great  gray  bird  was  seen 

THE  MASTER  MARINER 

Splash!  and  the  Master  Mariner  fell  into  the  sea 

THE  MARVELOUS  DOG  AND  THE  WONDERFUL  CAT 

The  Dog  and  the  Cat  studying  their  lessons      . 

THE  SHEPHERD  OF  CLOUDS 

It  was  Giles's  task  to  open  the  door  of  the  cloud-bowl  . 

THE  CITY  UNDER  THE  SEA 

For  three  days  the  merchant  pursued  the  ship  with  the  fiery  sails 


Frontispiece 


20 


55 


57 


70 


89 


108 


127 


142 


159 


175 


197 


218 


THE  QUEEN 
OF  LANTERN  LAND 

Once  upon  a  time  the  youngest  son  of  a  king 
became  filled  with  the  desire  to  go  abroad  and 
see  the  world.  He  got  his  father's  permission 
to  depart,  kissed  his  parents  good-bye,  mounted 
his  black  horse,  and  galloped  away  down  the 
high  road.  Soon  the  gray  towers  of  the  old 
castle  in  which  he  was  born  hid  themselves 
behind  him. 

The  Prince  journeyed  on,  spending  the  days 
in  traveling,  and  the  nights  in  little  wayside 
inns,  till  one  day  he  found  himself  in  the  heart 
of  the  Adamant  Mountains.  The  great,  red 
granite  crags  of  the  surrounding  peaks  rose  out 
of  the  gleaming  snow  like  ugly  fingers,  and  the 
slopes  of  giant  glaciers  sparkled  in  the  sun  like 
torrents  of  diamonds.  The  Prince  sat  down  by 
some  stunted  trees  whose  tops  had  long  before 
been  broken  off  by  an  avalanche,  and  began  to 
eat  the  bit  of  bread  and  cheese  which  he  had 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

stored  in  his  pocket.  His  black  horse,  mean- 
while, ate  the  grass  which  grew  here  and  there 
along  the  mountain  path.  And  as  the  Prince 
sat  there  in  the  bright  sun  and  the  silence  of 
the  mountains,  he  became  aware  of  a  low, 
continuous  roaring. 

'  There  must  be  a  waterfall  near-by,"  said  the 
Prince  to  himself.     \ I'll  go  and  see  it." 

So,  casting  another  look  at  his  steed,  who  was 
contentedly  browsing,  the  Prince  climbed  up  the 
mountainside  in  the  direction  of  the  sound. 

The  Prince  climbed  and  climbed,  he  went  in 
this  direction  and  in  that,  yet  the  sound  never 
grew  any  louder  or  fainter.  Suddenly  he  real- 
ized that  he  was  hopelessly  lost.  The  little 
path  up  which  he  had  ridden  had  vanished 
completely,  and  he  had  not  the  slightest  idea 
in  which  direction  it  lay.  He  called  aloud,  but 
only  the  mountain  echoes  answered  mockingly. 

Night  came,  and  the  Prince  took  shelter  behind 
a  great  rock.  All  the  next  day  he  labored  to 
find  the  path,  but  in  vain.     He  grew  very 

2 


THE  QUEEN  OF  LANTERN  LAND 

hungry  and  cold.  Every  once  in  a  while  he 
would  hear  the  roaring  of  the  waterfall,  which 
seemed  to  have  grown  louder. 

Another  day  dawned,  and  another  day  again. 
The  Prince  was  getting  very  weak.  He  knew 
that  he  was  approaching  the  mysterious  cata- 
ract, for  the  noise  of  the  water  was  now  tremen- 
dous, and  heaven  and  earth  were  full  of  its 
roar.  The  third  night  came,  and  the  full  moon 
rose  solemnly  over  the  snow -clad  summits 
of  the  lonely  and  mysterious  mountains.  Sud- 
denly the  Prince,  walking  blindly  on,  stag- 
gered through  a  narrow  passage-way  between 
two  splintered  crags,  and  found  himself  face  to 
face  with  the  mystery. 

He  stood  on  the  snowy  floor  of  a  vast  amphi- 
theatre whose  walls  were  the  steep  sides  of  the 
giant  mountains.  Farthest  away  from  him, 
and  opposite  the  moon,  the  wall  of  the  bowl 
appeared  as  a  giant  black  precipice,  whose  top 
seemed  to  reach  almost  to  the  moon-dimmed 
stars;  and  over  this  precipice  a  broad  river  was 

3 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

endlessly  pouring,  shining  in  the  night  like 
the  overflow  of  an  ocean  of  molten  silver. 
Though  now  very  weak  from  lack  of  food, 
and  dizzy  with  the  roaring  of  the  cataract,  the 
Prince  made  his  way  to  the  shore  of  the  foaming 
and  eddying  lake  into  which  the  water  was  fall- 
ing. Great  was  his  surprise  to  discover  that 
the  overflow  of  this  lake  disappeared  into  the 
earth  through  a  long,  low  opening  in  the  cliff 
behind  the  fall.  Greater  still  was  his  surprise 
to  see  a  strange  many-colored  light  burning 
within  the  cave. 

The  Prince  made  his  way  toward  the  light, 
along  a  narrow  beach  of  white  sand  lying  be- 
tween the  wall  of  the  cavern  and  the  racing 
waters  of  the  mysterious  river,  and  found  that 
the  glow  came  from  a  magnificent  lantern 
studded  with  emeralds,  topazes,  amethysts, 
and  rubies,  which  hung  by  a  chain  from  the 
roof  of  the  grotto.  Directly  under  this  lantern, 
drawn  up  on  the  sand,  lay  a  little  boat  with  a 
lantern  fastened  to  the  bow .    The  Prince  pushed 


THE  QUEEN  OF  LANTERN  LAND 

the  boat  into  the  river,  and  got  into  it,  and  the 
swift  current  seized  him  and  hurried  him  away. 

At  first  the  cavern  grew  higher  and  wider; 
then  it  shrank  again,  and  the  boat,  borne  along 
with  incredible  speed,  shot  down  a  rocky  pas- 
sageway into  the  very  heart  of  the  earth.  The 
passageway  broadened  once  more,  and  the  boat 
rode  gently  through  monstrous  caves  whose 
roofs  were  upheld  by  twisted  columns  taller 
than  the  tallest  tree.  There  were  times  when 
all  was  so  still  that  the  Prince  could  easily  have 
imagined  himself  back  in  the  solitude  of  the 
mountains;  there  were  times  when  the  foaming 
and  roaring  of  the  underground  river  grew  so 
deafening  that  the  Prince  feared  lest  he  might 
be  approaching  the  brink  of  a  subterranean 
cataract. 

Many  hours  passed.  The  Prince  did  not  know 
whether  it  was  night  or  day.  At  length,  while 
the  boat  was  gliding  through  a  vast  hall,  he 
fell  asleep.  When  he  awoke,  he  found  that  the 
boat  was  floating  on  the  black,  glassy  surface 

5 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

of  an  immense  underground  ocean.  All  signs 
of  the  cavern  had  disappeared.  Far  away,  over 
the  edge  of  this  ocean,  a  strange,  beautiful  glow 
mounted  into  the  starless  sky  of  the  under- 
world. And  while  the  Prince  was  gazing  at  the 
glow,  the  boat  swung  into  a  new  current,  and 
was  borne  swiftly  toward  the  light.  In  a  short 
time  the  light  grew  so  wide  and  bright  that 
one  would  have  believed  that  a  strange,  golden 
sun  had  risen.  The  boat  passed  between  two 
giant  marble  pillars  supporting  enormous  crys- 
tal globes  filled  with  a  golden  fire,  and  the 
Prince  found  himself  in  the  harbor  of  Lantern 
Land. 

A  city  lay  before  him,  a  strange  golden  city 
edging  the  shore  of  a  vast,  semi-circular  bay. 
Because  in  the  centre  of  the  earth  there  is  neither 
sun  nor  moon,  the  people  have  to  be  continually 
burning  lights;  and  so  many  and  so  great  were 
the  lanterns  of  Lantern  Land  that  the  town 
was  as  bright  as  day.  The  edge  of  the  harbor 
was  marked  with  a  row  of  golden  lanterns; 

6 


THE  QUEEN  OF  LANTERN  LAND 

there  were  immense  lanterns  at  every  six  paces 
along  the  streets;  a  lantern  hung  from  every 
house;  and  the  church-towers,  instead  of  hav- 
ing bells  in  them,  had  great  golden  lamps 
which  illumined  everything  for  some  distance 
about.  Moreover,  every  inhabitant  of  Lantern 
Land  carried  a  lantern  with  him  wherever  he 
went,  the  rich  carrying  golden  lanterns  set 
with  transparent  precious  stones,  the  poor  car- 
rying lights  of  ordinary  glass. 

Soon  the  Prince  saw  a  magnificent  ship  com- 
ing out  to  meet  him.  The  prow  was  carved  in 
the  shape  of  a  dragon's  head,  and  a  beautiful 
lantern  hung  from  its  jaws.  Overcome  by 
hunger  and  fatigue,  the  poor  Prince  fell  in- 
sensible to  the  floor  of  his  little  boat.  When  he 
came  to  his  senses  again,  he  was  lying  between 
sheets  of  the  whitest,  most  delicate  linen  in  a 
great  four-poster  bed,  in  a  room  in  the  royal 
palace. 

Thanks  to  his  kind  hosts,  the  Prince  soon 
recovered  his  strength.     When  he  was  com- 

7 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

pletely  himself  again,  he  was  summoned  to  an 
audience  with  the  Queen  of  Lantern  Land. 

The  Queen,  a  very  beautiful  young  woman, 
wearing  a  wonderful  lantern  crown,  sat  on  an 
ebony  throne.  On  each  side  of  the  throne 
stood  a  tall  soldier,  clad  in  scarlet  and  holding 
a  long  ebony  staff  surmounted  by  a  round 
lantern  lit  by  a  golden  flame. 

The  Prince  dropped  on  his  knee,  and  thanked 
the  Queen  for  her  kindness  and  hospitality. 

"You  are  the  first  stranger  to  come  to  Lan- 
tern Land  for  a  thousand  years/'  said  the 
young  Queen.  If  it  is  not  asking  too  much 
from  a  guest,  pray  how  did  you  happen  to  find 
the  river  of  the  underworld?" 

So  the  Prince  told  her  that  he  was  a  king's  son, 
and  described  his  adventures  in  the  mountains. 
You  may  be  sure  the  Queen  was  glad  to  hear 
of  his  royal  birth,  for  she  had  fallen  in  love 
with  him  at  first  sight. 

A  month  passed.  The  Prince  remained  a 
guest  in  the  palace.     All  kinds  of  festivities 


THE  QUEEN  OF  LANTERN  LAND 

were  given  in  his  honor;  there  were  wonderful 
dances,  masquerades,  picnics,  and  theatricals 
going  on  all  the  time.  One  day  the  Prince 
and  the  Queen,  accompanied  by  a  little  group 
of  courtiers,  rode  to  the  frontier  of  Lantern 
Land.  The  lovers  galloped  ahead  of  the  party 
and  reached  a  little  hill  beyond  which  there 
were  no  more  lanterns.  Ahead  of  them  the 
rolling  land,  sweeping  farther  and  farther  away 
from  the  light,  grew  darker  and  darker,  till  it 
finally  plunged  into  the  eternal  night  of  the 
underworld. 

The  Prince  looked  at  the  Queen,  and  saw  that 
she  was  weeping. 

Dear  love,  why  do  you  weep?"  asked  the 
Prince,  who  felt  sad  to  see  tears  in  his  lady's 
lovely  eyes. 

I  weep  to  think  that  in  spite  of  our  love  we 
must  soon  part  forever,"  said  the  Queen. 

Part  forever?     Dear  lady,  what  can  you 
mean?"  said  the  anxious  Prince. 
'  A  cruel  fate  hangs  over  us,"  replied  the  lady. 

9 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

'Know,  dear  Prince,  that  I  am  promised  in 
marriage  to  the  Enchanter  Dragondel,  and 
that  in  exactly  eight  days,  he  will  come  here  to 
claim  my  hand." 

'The  Enchanter  Dragondel — who  is  he?" 
said  the  Prince. 

'Alas,"  said  the  Queen,  "the  Enchanter  Drag- 
ondel is  the  most  powerful  magician  of  all  the 
underworld.  He  is  about  eight  feet  tall,  has 
cruel  sunken  eyes  that  burn  like  dull  fires,  and 
dresses  entirely  in  black.  We  met  -at  a  ball 
given  by  the  King  of  the  Goblins.  Dragondel 
pursued  me  with  compliments.  A  few  days 
afterwards,  an  iron  boat  arrived  in  the  port  of 
Lantern  Land,  having  on  board  a  giant  blue 
dog  who  is  Dragondel's  younger  brother.  This 
terrible  animal,  from  whose  sight  the  people  of 
Lantern  Land  fled  screaming,  made  his  way 
to  the  palace,  and  dropped  at  my  feet  a  jeweled 
casket,  which  he  carried  between  his  jaws.  The 
casket  contained  Dragondel's  request  for  my 
hand,  and  added  that,  were  I  to  refuse  him,  he 

10 


THE  QUEEN  OF  LANTERN  LAND 

would  let  loose  a  legion  of  ghosts  and  other 
winged  spirits  against  the  lanterns  of  Lantern 
Land.  I  had  a  vision  of  Lantern  Land  in 
darkness;  of  my  poor  subjects  dying  of  fear 
and  starvation.  Rather  than  let  this  vision 
come  true,  I  accepted  the  Enchanter.  Soon  I 
shall  never  see  you  again,  for  Dragondel  will 
come  and  take  me  to  his  awful  castle  which  lies 
on  an  island  in  the  dark  ocean.  Nor  will  you 
ever  be  able  to  save  me,  for  Dragondel  has  so 
bewitched  the  waves  that  a  terrible  whirlpool 
forms  on  the  sea  when  a  boat  approaches  the 
enchanted  castle,  and  engulfs  it." 

But  I  can  fight  Dragondel,"  said  the  Prince, 
like  the  brave  youth  that  he  was. 

'That  would  be  of  little  use,"  replied  the 
Queen,  for  you  would  be  changed  into  a  stone 
the  instant  you  crossed  swords  with  him.  To- 
morrow, the  blue  dog  arrives  to  remind  me  of 
my  obligation,  and  to  carry  back  to  the  island 
some  of  the  palace  servants  who  are  to  make 
Dragondel's  castle  ready  for  my  coming." 

11 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

The  other  members  of  the  party  now  rode  up, 
and  the  Queen  dabbed  her  eyes  with  her  hand- 
kerchief, and  pretended  not  to  have  been  cry- 
ing. The  Prince  and  the  Queen  felt  very  un- 
happy as  they  rode  home. 

On  the  next  day,  sure  enough,  the  iron  boat 
arrived,  and  the  blue  dog,  who  was  as  large  as 
a  lion,  went  to  the  Queen's  palace,  and  bade 
her  make  ready  for  the  coming  wedding.  A 
dozen  of  the  Queen's  servants  were  then  or- 
dered to  go  with  the  blue  dog  to  Dragondel's 
castle.  Among  these  servants,  disguised  as  a 
kitchen  lad,  was  the  Prince;  for  he  had  deter- 
mined to  see  if  there  was  not  some  way  in  which 
the  young  Queen  could  be  rescued  from  the 
wicked  magician. 

The  boat  neared  the  island,  but  no  terrible 
whirlpool  formed  in  the  enchanted  sea.  At 
last  the  boat  reached  DragondeFs  castle.  It 
stood  on  the  top  of  a  high  lonely  rock  against 
whose  steep  sides  the  waves  of  the  underground 
ocean  were  forever  foaming  and  breaking,  and 

12 


THE  QUEEN  OF  LANTERN  LAND 

it  was  half  in  ruins  and  was  very  poorly  lighted. 

The  Prince  took  his  place  in  the  kitchen,  and 
sought  for  an  opportunity  to  prevent  the  mar- 
riage of  Dragondel  and  the  Queen. 

For  four  days  of  the  precious  week,  however, 
the  poor  Prince  was  kept  so  busy  baking  and 
making  pastries  for  the  coming  of  the  bride 
that  he  did  not  have  an  instant  to  ask  ques- 
tions or  do  anything  else. 

In  the  morning  hours  of  the  fifth  day  there 
was  a  terrible  moaning  and  roaring  outside, 
and  the  cooks  rushed  to  the  kitchen  windows. 
An  unhappy  fishing  boat  had  been  swept  by 
the  wind  too  near  Dragondel's  castle,  the  en- 
chanted whirlpool  had  formed,  and  caught  the 
boat  in  its  awful  circle.  Now  it  went  slowly 
round  the  outer  edge,  now,  going  faster  and 
faster,  it  slid  down  the  side  of  the  awful  funnel, 
and  finally  it  vanished.  An  instant  later,  the 
whirlpool  had  disappeared,  leaving  the  sea 
roaring  and  foaming. 

The  Prince  shuddered. 

13 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

"  Well  you  may  shudder/'  said  the  chief  cook', 
"for  such  would  have  been  your  fate  if  our 
master's  brother  had  not  carried  with  him  the 
talisman  which  rules  the  whirlpool." 

Talisman  ?  What  talisman  ? ' '  said  the  Prince 
affecting  stupidity. 

"  Why  the  little  golden  hand,  you  fool/'  said 
the  chief  cook. 

'My!  it  must  be  a  great  big  hand  to  be  able 
to  quiet  that  whirlpool/'  said  the  Prince. 

"Big  indeed,  you  ninny!"  growled  the  cook. 
"Why,  the  magic  hand  is  only  as  big  as  a  baby's 
hand.  I've  seen  it  many  times.  The  master 
carries  it  in  his  pocket,  and  puts  it  under  his 
pillow  while  he  sleeps." 

So,  later  on,  when  his  work  was  done,  and 
everybody  had  gone  to  bed,  the  Prince,  in  the 
hope  of  stealing  the  talisman,  tried  to  make 
his  way  to  Dragondel's  bedchamber.  But  when 
he  reached  the  foot  of  the  stairs  which  led  to 
the  Enchanter's  room,  he  found  it  guarded  by 
two  black  panthers  which  stared  at  him  with 

14 


THE  QUEEN  OF  LANTERN  LAND 

insolent  yellow  eyes  and  switched  their  long 
tails.  The  Prince  went  outdoors,  to  see  if  there 
was  any  hope  of  climbing  to  the  room  along 
the  outer  wall,  and  found  that  the  windows  of 
DragondePs  chamber  overlooked  a  cliff  falling 
thousands  of  feet  sheer  to  the  dark  sea.  Far, 
far  away,  the  Prince  saw  the  glow  of  Lantern 
Land.  Only  a  short  time  remained  to  him  in 
which  to  save  his  beloved  lady  of  the  lanterns. 

As  he  wandered  about,  very  sick  at  heart,  he 
saw  a  little  black  cat  running  madly  back  and 
forth  along  the  edge  of  a  steep  cliff  from  one  of 
whose  crevices  came  a  persistent,  unhappy 
mewing.  The  poor  cat  was  a  mother-cat,  and 
was  trying  to  rescue  a  kitten  of  hers  that  had 
fallen  down  between  the  rocks.  At  great  risk 
of  being  dashed  to  pieces  himself,  the  brave 
Prince  climbed  down  the  precipice,  rescued  the 
kitten,  and  gave  it  back  to  its  anxious  mother. 

" Thank  you,  brave  youth,"  said  the  old  cat. 

'  May  it  some  day  be  within  my  power  to  help 
you  as  you  have  helped  me." 

15 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

You  can  help  me  this  very  moment ,"  said 
the  Prince.  And  he  told  the  cat  who  he  was, 
why  he  had  come  to  the  castle,  and  of  his  desire 
to  get  possession  of  the  talisman. 

I  will  help  you  get  the  talisman/'  said  the 
cat.  The  panthers  will  let  me  pass,  for  they 
are  cousins  of  mine.  But  you  must  make  an- 
other little  golden  hand  to  take  the  place  of  the 
one  I  shall  steal;  for  if  Dragondel  misses  the 
golden  hand,  he  will  summon  his  demons  to 
find  it,  and  we  shall  both  lose  our  lives.  Go 
now  to  the  kitchen,  carve  a  small  hand  with 
the  fingers  close  together  and  the  thumb  lying 
close  to  the  fingers,  gild  it  over  with  the  gold 
dust  you  have  had  given  you  for  the  pastry 
icings,  and  bring  it  to  me  to-morrow  night  at 
this  very  hour." 

So  the  Prince  worked  the  rest  of  the  night 
carving  and  gilding  the  little  golden  hand,  and 
on  the  next  night  he  gave  it  to  the  cat.  The 
cat  took  it  in  her  mouth  as  she  would  have 
a  mouse,  walked  coolly  by  the  panthers,  and 

16 


THE  QUEEN  OF  LANTERN  LAND 

entered  Dragondel's  room.  She  had  just  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  the  true  hand  out  from  under 
the  magician's  pillow  when  Dragondel  woke 
up.  The  cat  was  clever  enough  to  pretend  to  be 
engaged  in  a  mouse-hunt,  so  the  Enchanter 
paid  no  attention  to  her  and  fell  asleep  once 
more.  When  the  cat,  however,  got  under  Drag- 
ondeTs  couch  again,  the  two  hands  lay  side  by 
side  and  she  could  not  remember  just  which  one 
was  the  talisman  and  which  one  the  false  hand. 
So  because  she  had  to  act  quickly,  she  put  one 
of  the  hands  under  the  pillow,  brought  the 
other  to  the  Prince  and  told  him  her  story.  But 
so  well  matched  were  the  little  hands,  that  even 
the  Prince  was  far  from  certain  that  he  had  not 
got  his  own  hand  back  again. 

And  now  came  the  seventh  day,  the  day  on 
which  Dragondel,  the  blue  dog,  and  all  the 
wicked  Enchanter's  friends  were  to  sail  to 
Lantern  Land  for  the  marriage  ceremony.  The 
iron  ship,  made  gay  with  a  thousand  small 
scarlet  lanterns,  stood  ready  to  carry  them 

17 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

over.  The  Enchanter  and  his  company  got  in, 
and  the  vessel  left  the  island. 

The  Prince  stood  watching  the  ship  from  the 
top  of  the  cliffs.  What  anxiety  was  in  his 
heart!  If  Dragondel  still  possessed  the  true 
talisman,  he  would  cross  the  whirlpool  safely, 
and  marry  the  beautiful  Queen  of  Lantern 
Land. 

The  vessel  sped  on.  It  was  now  at  some  dis- 
tance from  the  island. 

'  All  is  lost/'  thought  the  Prince  with  a  sink- 
ing heart;  '  Dragondel  has  the  true  talisman." 
And  in  his  bitterness  he  was  about  to  throw 
the  little  golden  hand  which  lay  in  his  pocket 
down  into  the  sea. 

Suddenly  the  air  became  filled  with  a  terrible 
moaning;  the  sea  became  troubled;  the  whirl- 
pool awoke.  And  the  Prince  saw  the  red  lights 
of  the  Enchanter's  ship  whirled  round  and 
round,  faster  and  faster,  till  they  disappeared 
forever  in  the  waters  of  the  sunless  sea. 

As  for  the  Prince,  he  soon  found  another  boat, 

18 


THE  QUEEN  OF  LANTERN  LAND 

and  taking  with  him  the  talisman,  his  fellow 
servants,  and  the  black  cat  and  her  kittens,  he 
returned  to  Lantern  Land,  married  the  Queen, 
and  lived  happily  ever  after. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF 
FLORIAN 

Once  upon  a  time  there  lived  in  an  old  and 
ruinous  house  by  the  shore  of  the  wild  sea,  a 
widowed  nobleman  and  his  only  child,  a  daugh- 
ter named  Isabella.  They  were  very  poor  in 
spite  of  their  high  birth,  so  poor  that  one  by 
one  the  fields  and  woods  of  their  little  domain 

20 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF   FLORIAN 

had  been  sold  in  order  to  buy  the  bare  necessi- 
ties of  life.  Knowing  that  his  death  would 
leave  Isabella  quite  alone  in  the  world  and 
practically  penniless,  her  father  brought  her  up 
more  like  a  boy  than  a  girl;  she  could  ride  a 
horse  as  gracefully  as  an  Amazon,  she  could 
swim  like  a  born  mermaid,  and  even  outdo  her 
father  in  his  favorite  sport  of  fencing.  Yet  so 
sweet  was  the  gentle  nature  which  the  girl  had 
inherited  from  her  mother,  that  this  strange 
upbringing  never  spoiled  her  in  the  least. 

Late  one  October  evening,  when  the  fierce 
gusts  of  wind  from  the  sea  shook  the  old  house 
to  its  very  foundation  and  set  the  ragged  tap- 
estries swaying  on  the  walls,  Isabella's  father 
died,  leaving  her  only  the  ruinous  house,  a 
handful  of  copper  pence,  and  a  single  golden 
florin.  The  sum  of  money  was  enough  to  keep 
body  and  soul  together  for  a  few  weeks,  but 
what  was  Isabella  to  do  when  the  little  pittance 
was  gone?  Her  father  had  once  counseled  her 
to  go  to  the  King  and  ask  for  his  protection; 

21 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

but  the  King's  castle  was  hundreds  of  miles 
distant,  and  Isabella  shrank  from  begging  on 
the  highway. 

At  last  the  brave  girl  resolved  to  make  her 
own  way  in  the  world.  Taking  the  golden 
florin  with  her,  she  went  to  a  neighboring  town, 
and  purchased  a  suit  of  clothes  such  as  pages 
and  squires  wear  who  are  in  the  service  of 
noblemen.  She  then  caused  her  black  hair  to 
be  cut  short,  boy-fashion,  put  on  the  boy's 
clothes  she  had  purchased,  and  went  into  the 
market-place  to  see  if  she  could  not  find  a  situ- 
ation in  the  service  of  some  great  family. 

Now,  it  was  the  custom  in  those  days  for 
masters  and  servants  to  meet  by  a  fountain  in 
the  market-place,  the  masters  who  were  in  need 
of  servants  standing  on  one  side  of  the  foun- 
tain, the  servants  who  were  in  search  of  masters 
on  the  other. 

When  Isabella  came  into  the  market-place, 
there  was  no  one  standing  on  the  masters'  side 
of  the  fountain,  but  on  the  other  side,  ready 

22 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  FLORIAN 

for  the  first  master  who  should  appear,  was  a 
little  group  of  noisy  and  impudent  squires  and 
pages.  Isabella,  or,  as  she  now  called  herself, 
Florian,  strode  boldly  over  and  joined  this 
group,  her  heart  beating  high  with  the  thrill 
of  the  great  adventure. 

Suddenly  a  black  knight,  mounted  on  a  black 
horse  and  leading  another  horse  by  the  bridle, 
clattered  over  the  cobble-stones  of  the  square, 
and  taking  his  place  by  the  fountain,  called  on 
the  pages  to  come  to  him.  In  spite  of  the 
horseman's  summons,  however,  the  pages  paid 
no  attention  to  him  at  all.  Curious  to  know 
the  reason  of  this  disdain,  Florian  questioned 
a  fellow  page,  and  was  told  that  the  knight  was 
no  other  than  the  Enchanter  of  the  Black  Rock, 
and  that  no  page  or  squire  would  take  service 
with  him  because  his  castle  was  haunted  by 
goblins,  ghosts,  and  all  manner  of  terrifying 
spirits. 

Now,  Florian  was  no  coward,  and,  as  the  say- 
ing is,  beggars  cannot  be  choosers.  So,  much 

23 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

to  the  astonishment  of  the  pages,  Florian 
walked  over  to  the  Enchanter,  who  sat  fuming 
with  anger  and  impatience,  and  offered  to  go 
with  him.  The  Knight  bade  Florian  mount 
the  horse  which  he  was  holding;  and  amid  the 
cat-calls  and  hooting  of  the  pages,  master  and 
boy  galloped  away. 

All  day  long  they  rode,  and  when  it  was  near 
the  end  of  the  afternoon  Florian  found  himself 
at  the  edge  of  a  wild  and  desolate  moor.  Within 
the  great  circle  of  the  horizon,  under  the  pale 
sky,  not  a  tree,  not  a  house,  not  a  shepherd's  hut 
even  was  to  be  seen — nothing  but  the  great 
barren  waste  rolling,  rising  and  falling  to  the 
very  edge  of  the  world.  Lower  and  lower  sank 
the  sun;  it  grew  cold,  and  a  blue  mist  fell. 
Twilight  came,  a  green,  mysterious  twilight. 

Suddenly,  from  a  hillock  of  the  moor,  Florian 
beheld  afar  the  enchanted  dwelling.  A  great 
sunken  marsh  lay  before  him,  beginning  at  the 
foot  of  the  little  hill  and  stretching  away, 
league  after  league,  till  its  farther  shore  was 

24 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  FLORIAN 

hidden  in  the  gathering  darkness .  The  autumn 
wind  stirred  the  dead  sedges  at  its  brim,  and 
though  the  dying  twilight  was  still  gleaming 
in  the  sky,  the  great  bog  had  caught  little  of 
its  glow,  and  lay  full  of  coiling  blue  mists,  pale 
quagmires,  and  islands  of  mysterious  dark- 
ness. A  dreadful  moaning  cry,  uttered  by 
some  demon  of  the  moor,  sounded  through  the 
mist,  chilling  the  blood  in  Florian's  veins;  and 
as  if  in  answer  to  the  cry,  thousands  upon 
thousands  of  will-o'-the-wisps  appeared,  dart- 
ing and  dancing.  In  the  very  heart  of  this  ter- 
rible marsh  a  great  black  rock  uprose,  and  on 
this  rock,  its  turrets  and  battlements  outlined 
against  the  burning  face  of  the  moon,  stood  the 
castle.  Ghostly  lights,  now  green,  now  blue, 
flickered  in  its  windows. 

The  Enchanter  reined  up  his  horse  at  the 
brink  of  the  mire,  and  cried, — 

"List!    List! 
Will-o'-the-Wisp, 
Lend  me  your  light." 
25 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

Scarcely  had  the  last  word  fallen  from  the 
Enchanter's  mouth,  when  the  dancing  witch- 
fires  hurried  toward  him  from  all  sides  of  the 
marsh.  Soon  a  pale  road  leading  across  the  bog 
to  the  castle  stood  revealed,  an  enchanted  road 
which  melted  away  behind  the  riders  as  smoke 
melts  into  the  winter  air.  To  the  very  gates  of 
his  castle  did  the  ghost-fires  accompany  the 
Enchanter;  then,  rising  swiftly  high  into  the  air, 
they  fled  like  startled  birds,  in  every  direction. 

Doors  opened  of  their  own  will,  strange  gob- 
lins and  ghostly  creatures  passed,  and  bright, 
whirling  globes  of  fire  fled  hissing  across  the 
castle  courtyard.  Just  as  they  were  about  to 
enter  the  castle  itself,  the  Enchanter  turned, 
and  fastened  his  burning  eyes  on  Florian. 

"Boy,"  said  he,  let  nothing  that  you  hear 
or  see  make  you  afraid.  Be  assured  that  no 
power  or  spirit  can  harm  you.  There  is  only 
one  demon  in  the  world  whose  power  is  greater 
than  mine,  and  that  is  Fear  himself.  Be  brave, 
keep  the  doors  of  your  heart  locked  against 

26 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  FLORIAN 

Fear;  be  faithful,  and  you  shall  never  have 
cause  to  regret  your  coming." 

So  Florian,  who  was  by  nature  brave,  felt 
ashamed  of  having  allowed  the  demon  Fear  to 
knock  at  the  door  of  his  heart,  and  resolved 
never  to  let  his  courage  fail,  no  matter  what 
might  happen.  And  true  to  this  resolve  the 
lad  remained  during  the  years  he  spent  in  the 
service  of  the  Enchanter.  At  first,  to  be  sure, 
he  had  to  struggle  to  conquer  his  fear  of  some 
of  the  goblins;  but  as  time  passed  and  no  ghost 
or  goblin  ever  ventured  to  annoy  him,  he  grew 
accustomed  to  their  presences  and  ended  by 
paying  no  more  attention  to  them  than  he 
paid  to  the  great  ravens  who  flew  croaking 
over  the  mire.  So  faithful  and  courageous  was 
the  little  page  that,  when  his  year  was  up,  the 
Enchanter  begged  him  to  remain  yet  another 
year,  promising  him  rich  rewards  if  he  stayed. 
When  this  second  year  was  up,  however,  Florian 
felt  a  longing  to  see  the  world  again,  and  told 
the  Enchanter  that  he  must  be  going. 

27 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

Very  well, ' '  said  the  Enchanter,  who  respected 
the  courage  of  the  brave  page,  "thou  shalt  do 
as  thou  desires t.  Thou  art  a  brave  and  faith- 
ful lad.  Here  is  a  purse  of  gold  for  thy  wages, 
and  here  are  three  gifts  to  reward  thy  courage 
and  good- will."  He  opened  a  copper  casket 
and  took  forth  a  little  golden  bird  with  out- 
stretched wings  hanging  from  a  fine  golden 
chain,  a  golden  key,  and  a  scarlet  sphere  marked 
with  a  band  of  white.  "This  little  bird,"  con- 
tinued the  Enchanter,  "will  protect  you  from 
the  spells  of  any  sorcerer  whose  power  is  less 
than  mine,  and  will  sing  when  you  fare  into 
hidden  danger;  this  key  will  open  every  door 
in  the  world;  and  should  you  ever  lose  your 
way,  you  have  but  to  put  this  sphere  on  the 
ground,  and  it  will  roll  home  of  its  own  accord. 
Moreover,  if  you  are  ever  yourself  in  deadly 
peril,  call  upon  me,  and  I  will  come  and  help 
you." 

So  Florian  thanked  the  Enchanter,  and  tak- 
ing his  gifts,  went  back  into  the  world  again. 

28 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  FLORIAN 

But  so  gentle  and  kind  was  he  that  he  soon 
gave  away  to  the  unfortunate  all  the  gold  he 
had  earned,  and  was  forced  to  go  in  search  of 
another  situation.  At  length  he  entered  the 
service  of  the  King  and  Queen  of  the  Twelve 
Towers. 

This  royal  couple ,  who  were  renowned  in 
Fairyland  as  much  for  their  goodness  and  gen- 
erosity as  for  their  wealth  and  magnificence, 
had  but  one  son,  Prince  Florizel.  No  braver 
or  more  gallant  prince  ever  drew  breath.  He 
had  driven  the  dragon  of  the  blue  cavern  out 
of  his  father's  kingdom;  he  had  fought  three 
wicked  ogres  one  after  the  other,  and  finished 
each  one;  he  had  delivered  the  diamond  castle 
of  a  terrible  spell  which  lay  upon  it. 

When  Florian  entered  the  service  of  the  King 
and  Queen,  these  excellent  parents  were  send- 
ing their  son  on  a  visit  to  his  uncle,  the  Emperor 
of  the  Plain,  and  Florian  was  ordered  to  join 
the  gay  company  of  lords  and  ladies,  knights 
and  soldiers,  who  were  to  make  the  journey. 

29 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

According  to  the  gossip  of  the  company,  Prince 
Florizel  was  being  sent  to  his  uncle's  in  the 
hope  that  he  would  fall  in  love  with  his  uncle's 
Ward,  the  beautiful  Princess  Rosamond. 

Now  in  some  way  or  other,  after  the  company 
had  been  a  few  days  on  the  road,  Prince  Florizel, 
who  watched  over  the  company  as  carefully  as 
a  good  captain  does  over  his  soldiers,  became 
aware  of  the  bravery,  trustworthiness,  and 
modest  bearing  of  Florian,  the  little  page,  and 
promoted  him  to  be  his  own  personal  squire. 
Alas!  no  sooner  had  he  been  advanced,  than 
Florian  the  little  page,  though  remaining  out- 
wardly a  page,  became  at  heart  the  runaway 
girl,  Isabella.  Though  she  fought  as  hard  as 
she  could  against  her  own  heart,  it  was  of 
little  use,  and  she  knew  herself  to  be  deeply  in 
love  with  the  gallant  Florizel.  Yet  she  suffered 
no  word  or  sign  of  her  affection  to  escape  her, 
for  Prince  Florizel  thought  her  only  a  little 
page,  and  to  speak  would  be  to  betray  the  se- 
cret she  had  so  long  and  successfully  guarded. 

30 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF   FLORIAN 

One  morning,  as  the  cavalcade  was  riding 
through  a  charming  country,  Florian,  for  so 
we  must  still  continue  to  call  Isabella,  was  fol- 
lowing close  behind  his  master,  when  the  Prince 
caught  sight  of  a  wonderful  scarlet  flower, 
something  like  a  scarlet  lily,  blooming  by  the 
roadside.  At  the  same  moment,  the  little 
golden  bird  that  Florian  wore  round  his  neck 
sang  a  few  clear  notes  as  if  it  were  alive. 

"  What  a  pretty  flower  !"  said  the  Prince.  "I 
must  have  it." 

And  he  was  about  to  dismount  and  pick  the 
flower,  when  Florian  spurred  on  ahead  of  him, 
grasped  the  enchanted  flower,  and  tossed  it 
into  a  ditch. 

Fie,  what  a  naughty  page  !"  cried  the  lords 
and  ladies. 

The  company  rode  on  a  few  miles  more,  and 
suddenly  the  Prince  caught  sight  of  a  beautiful 
jeweled  dagger  lying  in  the  highway.  At  the 
same  moment  the  little  golden  bird  sang  a  few 
clear  notes  of  warning. 

31 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

"What  a  fine  dagger!"  cried  the  Prince,  "I 
must  have  it." 

And  he  was  about  to  dismount  and  pick  up 
the  dagger,  when  Florian  spurred  on  ahead  of 
him,  seized  the  dagger,  and  tossed  it  into  a 
ditch. 

"Fie,  what  a  naughty  page!"  cried  the  lords 
and  ladies. 

The  company  now  rode  on  for  a  few  miles 
more,  and  the  Prince  saw  by  the  roadside  a 
beautiful  enchanted  garden.  Birds  of  many 
colors  sang  in  the  branches  of  the  trees,  foun- 
tains sparkled  and  danced  in  the  sunlight,  and 
the  sweetest  of  music  was  heard.  At  the  same 
moment  the  golden  bird  sang  louder  and  longer 
than  ever. 

"What  a  beautiful  garden!"  cried  the  Prince. 
"Let  us  ride  in  and  look  about." 

So  Florian  hurried  to  the  Prince's  side,  and 
implored  him  not  to  enter,  saying  that  the 
garden  was  enchanted  and  that  some  harm 
would  certainly  befall  him. 

32 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF   FLORIAN 

At  this,  all  the  lords  and  ladies,  who  were  a 
little  jealous,  perhaps,  that  a  page  should  know 
more  than  they,  laughed  at  poor  Florian,  and 
even  Florizel  smiled  at  him  and  said,  All  that 
is  only  fancy,  little  Florian/ '  and  dashed  in 
through  the  garden  gate.  For  a  minute  or 
so  nothing  happened,  and  the  first  to  enter 
mocked  at  Florian  again;  but  when  the  whole 
company  had  entered  the  garden,  •  there  was 
a  clap  of  thunder,  and  everybody  except  the 
Prince  and  Florian,  who  was  protected  by  the 
Enchanter's  charm,  was  turned  into  stone. 
The  echoes  of  the  thunder  had  hardly  ceased 
rolling  when  two  frightful  demons  with  lions' 
heads  rushed  towards  them  through  the  gar- 
den, seized  the  Prince,  and  hurried  him  away. 
Florian  was  left  alone  in  the  garden.  Night 
was  fast  approaching. 

Now,  the  owner  of  the  enchanted  garden  was 
a  witch,  who  had  a  daughter  so  frightfully 
ugly  that  even  her  mother's  powerful  magic 
could  not  make  her  beautiful.    In  spite  of  her 

.    33 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

ugliness,  however,  the  witch's  daughter  con- 
sidered herself  quite  beautiful,  and  was  always 
importuning  her  mother  to  invite  to  the  castle 
princes  whom  she  considered  worthy  of  her 
hand.  So  the  old  witch  gave  wonderful  dances 
and  parties,  to  which  all  the  eligible  young 
kings  and  princes  of  the  neighborhood  were  in- 
vited; but  just  as  soon  as  the  witch's  daughter 
appeared  with  a  horrid  smirk  on  her  ugly  face, 
the  young  men  were  sure  to  make  their  excuses 
and  ride  away. 

At  length  the  old  witch,  who  had  just  had  a 
severe  tongue  -  lashing  from  her  daughter  for 
not  punishing  the  Prince  of  Zagabondiga  after 
that  prince  had  failed  to  ask  her  for  a  dance, 
could  endure  her  daughter's  scolding  no  longer, 
and  resolved  to  catch  the  first  prince  who  came 
past  her  garden,  and  force  him,  willy  nilly,  to 
accept  her  ugly  daughter.  Into  her  trap  poor 
Florizel  had  walked,  and  the  witch,  hoping  to 
bend  him  to  her  will  by  terrifying  him,  had 
thrown  him  into  a  deep  dungeon.     The  ugly 

34     . 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF   FLORIAN 

daughter  had  immediately  peeked  through  the 
key-hole  of  the  prison,  and  fallen  in  love  with 
Florizel  at  first  sight. 

The  witch  was  just  considering  what  to  do 
next,  when  her  lion-headed  servitors  informed 
her  that  one  of  the  company  had  resisted  her 
enchantment,  and  was  wandering  about  the 
garden.  So  the  witch  put  on  her  cloak  of  in- 
visibility, and  going  down  to  the  garden,  found 
poor  Florian  wandering  disconsolately  under 
the  trees.  She  saw  at  once  that  it  was  the 
little  golden  bird  which  had  protected  him  from 
her  magic;  and  being  afraid  of  the  charm  and 
yet  unable  to  work  the  poor  lad  any  harm 
while  the  bird  was  in  his  possession,  she  de- 
cided to  rid  herself  of  Florian  by  transporting 
her  castle,  gardens  and  all,  over  to  the  other 
side  of  the  world.  So  she  uttered  a  spell,  and 
everything  disappeared. 

When  Florian  woke  the  next  morning,  and 
found  that  the  castle  was  gone,  his  heart  sank. 
Nevertheless,  he  did  not  despair,  but  taking 

35 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

from  his  pocket  the  little  scarlet  ball  which  his 
master  the  Enchanter  had  given  him,  he  put 
it  on  the  ground,  and  bade  it  guide  him  back 
to  the  Enchanted  Garden. 

The  little  ball  immediately  began  rolling 
ahead  at  Florian's  own  pace;  at  night  it  glowed 
with  a  scarlet  fire.  Day  after  day,  month  after 
month,  the  scarlet  ball  rolled  on;  it  led  Florian 
over  hill  and  down  dale,  through  the  land  of 
the  men  who  have  only  one  eye,  through  the 
country  of  the  dwarfs,  and  the  valley  of  the 
talking  trees,  never  stopping  till  it  reached  the 
gate  of  the  witch's  garden. 

A  year,  meanwhile,  had  gone  by,  and  during 
that  year  the  witch  had  done  everything  she 
could  to  induce  Prince  Florizel  to  accept  her 
ugly  daughter.  First  she  had  tried  frightening 
him,  then  she  had  tried  to  win  him  by  giving 
splendid  fetes,  then  she  had  tried  terrifying 
him  again;  but  as  the  Prince  was  neither  to  be 
terrified  nor  cajoled,  she  came  to  her  wits'  end. 
Finally  she  told  the  Prince  that,  if  he  were  not 

36 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  FLORIAN 

willing  to  accept  her  daughter  in  marriage  on 
the  very  next  day,  she  would  turn  him  into  a 
hare  and  set  her  dogs  upon  him.  The  Prince 
made  no  answer  to  her  terrible  threat,  and  the 
witch  went  ahead  and  made  preparation  for 
the  grandest  of  weddings.  On  that  night,, 
Florian  arrived  at  the  garden. 

When  it  was  very  late,  and  the  moon,  which 
was  a  quarter  full,  had  disappeared  behind  a 
bank  of  clouds,  Florian  crept  unobserved  to 
the  door  of  Florizel's  prison;  for  the  witch  had 
locked  him  up  so  securely  that  she  had  not 
taken  the  trouble  to  find  a  watchman.  Alas! 
the  poor  Prince  lay  at  the  top  of  a  high  tower, 
and  twenty  different  doors,  each  one  opened 
by  a  different  key,  stood  between  him  and  the 
ground. 

But  Florian  was  not  to  be  daunted,  and 
drawing  from  his  bosom  the  key  which  the 
Enchanter  had  given  him,  he  opened  one  door 
after  the  other  till  he  arrived  in  the  cell  occu- 
pied by  the  Prince. 

37 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

The  poor  Prince  lay  chained  on  a  bed  of  straw, 
trying  to  read  a  book  by  the  light  of  a  single 
candle.  He  was  very  unhappy,  for  he  had 
resolved  to  let  himself  be  torn  in  pieces  rather 
than  marry  the  ugly  witch  maiden.  You  may 
be  sure  he  was  glad  to  see  Florian. 

Dear  Florian/ '  said  the  unhappy  Prince,  "if 
I  had  only  obeyed  your  counsel,  all  would 
have  been  well."  And  he  begged  Florian  to 
tell  him  where  he  had  been  all  the  long  year. 

So  Florian  told  the  Prince  of  his  adventures. 

Now,  the  chains  which  the  Prince  wore  were 
riveted  cruelly  upon  him,  and  since  there  was 
no  lock  to  them,  the  magic  key  was  of  no  avail. 
At  length,  however,  Florizel  managed  to  work 
them  off;  but  in  doing  so,  he  injured  his  foot, 
and  found  to  his  dismay  that  he  could  only 
limp  along. 

Little  by  little  the  freshened  air  and  the  stir 
of  leaves  began  to  foretell  the  coming  of  the 
dawn.  Finally,  just  as  the  dawn -star  began 
to  pale,  Florizel  and  Florian  hurried  out  of  the 

38 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF   FLORIAN 

prison  through  the  twenty  doors,  and  fled  to 
the  highroad, 

But  they  had  traveled  only  a  few  miles,  when 
the  wicked  witch  discovered  Florizel's  flight, 
and,  dreadfully  enraged,  commanded  that  her 
dragon  car  be  got  ready  in  order  that  she  might 
go  in  pursuit  of  him.  So  the  car  was  brought 
forth,  and  into  it  the  witch  leaped,  and 
mounted  into  the  sky.  Hearing  the  hissing 
and  roaring  of  the  dragons  in  the  air,  Florian 
and  Florizel  tried  to  hide  under  some  trees; 
but  the  witch  instantly  saw  them,  and  pro- 
nounced a  spell  to  turn  them  into  hares.  But 
though  the  hate  of  the  witch  was  quick,  the 
woman's  heart  of  Isabella  was  quicker,  and 
sacrificing  herself  for  the  man  she  loved,  she 
threw  the  chain  and  the  golden  bird  over  the 
Prince's  head.  An  instant  later  she  had  turned 
into  a  little  gray  hare  crouching  at  Florizel's 
feet.  At  the  same  moment,  the  cruel  witch, 
who  had  arrived  at  her  castle,  let  loose  her  pack 
of  fierce  hunting  dogs,  who  soon  took  up  the 

39 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

trail  of  the  hare  and  came  bounding  toward 
her  in  full  cry. 

The  poor  Prince  picked  up  the  hare  and  hob- 
bled forward  as  fast  as  he  could  go,  forgetting 
the  dreadful  pain  it  caused  him;  but  the  dogs 
were  running  a  hundred  times  faster  than  he. 
Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  pack,  their  red 
tongues  lolling  from  their  black  throats.  By 
good  fortune,  just  as  the  leader  of  the  pack  was 
not  more  than  fifty  feet  away,  Isabella  had  wit 
enough  to  remember  the  promise  which  the 
Enchanter  had  made  her,  and  called  upon  him. 
Immediately  a  strong  glass  wall,  as  high  as  a 
castle  tower,  shot  up  from  the  ground  behind 
Isabella  and  the  Prince;  and  the  pack,  hurry- 
ing forward,  found  themselves  baulked  of  their 
prey.  Snarling  and  yelling,  they  threw  them- 
selves against  the  magic  wall;  but  in  vain. 

In  another  instant,  the  Enchanter  himself 
stood  before  them,  and  touching  the  hare  with 
his  wand,  restored  Isabella  to  her  human  form. 
She  still  wore  the  garments  of  Florian,  how- 

40 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  FLORIAN 

ever,  and  the  Prince  still  thought  her  a  boy. 

Suddenly  a  shadow  fell  on  the  ground  near 
them,  and  looking  up,  all  beheld  the  wicked 
witch  and  her  ugly  daughter,  who  had  ridden 
out  in  the  dragon  car  to  enjoy  Florizel's  cruel 
death.  The  Enchanter  immediately  caused  the 
dragon  car  to  vanish,  and  the  witch  and  her 
daughter  fell  tumbling  through  the  air  into  a 
pond,  and  were  changed  into  ugly  little  fishes. 
Then  the  Enchanter  carried  Florizel  and  Florian 
back  to  the  witch's  castle,  where  they  found  the 
tables  spread  and  the  dinner  being  prepared 
which  was  to  celebrate  the  wedding  of  Florizel 
and  the  witch's  daughter.  Last  of  all,  he 
released  Florizel's  company  from  the  witch's 
spell. 

Now,  one  of  the  ladies,  when  she  heard  how 
the  witch  had  tried  to  match  Florizel  with  her 
daughter,  and  saw  the  preparations  for  the 
wedding,  told  the  Prince  that  it  was  a  pity  that 
the  Princess  Rosamond  were  not  at  hand,  so 
that  there  might  be  a  wedding  after  all. 

41 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

"A  wedding?    No,"  said  Florizel,  'not  till  I 
have  found  a  wife  who  shall  have  proved  herself 
as  faithful  and  true  as  little  Florian." 
*  "She  is  already  here/'  said  the  Enchanter. 
And  he  touched  Florian  with  his  wand. 

Immediately  there  was  a  flash  of  flame,  and 
out  of  it,  Florian  no  longer,  but  her  own  self, 
appeared  Isabella.  Her  hair  had  grown  long 
again,  and  the  Enchanter  had  clad  her  in  the 
most  magnificent  of  gowns.  Never  was  there 
a  lovelier  girl  to  be  seen  on  earth.  You  may 
be  sure  that  the  Prince  stepped  forward,  took 
her  by  the  hand,  and  claimed  her  for  his  bride. 

Soon  the  parents  of  Florizel,  who  had  been 
summoned  by  the  Enchanter,  arrived, '  and 
there  was  a  wedding  after  all.  When  the  merry- 
making was  over,  the  Enchanter  went  back  to 
his  castle  on  the  Black  Rock,  while  Florizel  and 
Isabella  returned  to  their  own  country,  and 
lived  there  happily  to  a  good  old  age. 


THE  SELLER  OF 
DREAMS 

Once  upon  a  time  a  mother  called  her  only 
son  into  the  kitchen,  gave  him  a  basket  of  fine, 
fresh  eggs,  and  bade  him  carry  them  to  his 
Aunt  Jane,  who  lived  a  few  miles  down  the 
valley.  The  son,  a  lively  lad  about  twelve  years 
of  age,  obeyed  his  mother  with  joy,  and  clap- 
ping his  little  green  hat  on  his  head,  stepped 
forth  into  the  road.  It  was  a  beautiful  clear 
morning  in  the  spring,  and  the  earth,  released 
from  the  icy  chains  of  winter,  was  rejoicing  in 
her  freedom  and  the  return  of  the  sun.  A  few 
birds,  just  back  from  the  southland,  rocked  on 
twigs  swollen  with  bursting  buds,  a  thousand 
rills  flowing  from  everywhere  and  in  every  di- 
rection sparkled  and  sang,  and  the  air  was 
sweet  with  the  odor  of  ploughed  fields. 

The  boy,  whose  name  was  Peter,  walked  along 
whistling.  Suddenly  he  saw  a  spot  on  the  road 
shining  as  dazzlingly  as  if  a  bit  of  the  sun  itself 

43 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

had  fallen  to  the  earth.  A  bit  of  glass ," 
thought  Peter.  But  it  was  not  a  bit  of  glass 
after  all,  but  a  fine  golden  florin  which  must 
have  dropped  from  somebody's  purse. 

Peter  stooped,  picked  up  the  gold  piece,  put 
it  in  his  pocket,  and  walked  off  whistling  louder 
than  ever.  In  a  little  while  he  came  to  a  place 
where  the  road  wound  down  a  little  hill,  and 
Peter  saw,  trudging  up  this  hill,  a  very  strange- 
looking  old  man.  He  was  a  very  old  man;  his 
face  was  puckered  up  into  a  thousand  wrinkles 
like  the  skin  of  a  shrunken  apple,  and  he  had 
long,  snow-white  hair  and  a  white  beard  which 
reached  almost  to  his  waist.  Moreover,  he 
was  strangely  dressed  in  a  robe  of  cherry  scarlet, 
and  wore  golden  shoes.  From  a  kind  of  belt 
hung  two  horns  on  silver  chains,  one  an  ordi- 
nary cow's  horn,  the  other  a  beautiful  horn 
carved  of  the  whitest  ivory,  and  decorated  with 
little  figures  of  men  and  animals. 

'  Dreams  to  sell!    Dreams  to  sell!"  called  out 
the  old  man  as  soon  as  he  caught  sight   of 

44 


THE   SELLER   OF   DREAMS 

Peter.       Don't  you  want  to  buy  a  dream, 
young  man?" 

What  kind  of  dreams  have  you?"  asked 
Peter. 

Good,  bad,  true,  false  —  all  kinds,"  replied 
the  seller  of  dreams.  '  I  have  even  a  few  thrill- 
ing nightmares.  Dreams  to  sell!  Dreams  to 
sell!" 

How  much  does  a  dream  cost?"  asked  Peter. 

A  golden  florin,"  answered  the  merchant. 

I  '11  have  one,  please,"  said  Peter;  and  he 
handed  over  the  florin  he  had  found. 

The  old  man  took  a  kind  of  wonderful  sugar- 
plum out  of  the  ivory  horn,  and  gave  it  to  Peter 
to  eat. 

You  will  have  the  dream  next  time  you 
sleep,"  said  he,  and  trudged  on. 

So  Peter  continued  his  journey,  stopping 
every  once  in  a  while  to  look  back  at  the  strange 
old  man,  who  was  slowly  climbing  the  hill. 
At  length  Peter  came  to  a  little  quiet  grove  of 
pines,  and  there  he  sat  down  on  a  big  stone 

45 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

and  ate  the  luncheon  which  his  mother  had 
prepared  for  him.  The  sun  was  high  in  the 
heavens;  it  was  close  on  to  high  noon.  Now, 
as  Peter  was  contentedly  munching  his  bread 
and  cheese,  he  heard,  at  first  far  away,  then 
quite  near  at  hand,  the  clear  notes  of  a  coach- 
man's horn.  The  notes  of  the  second  call  died 
away  in  a  great  pattering  of  hoofs  and  tinkling 
of  little  bells,  and  suddenly,  arriving  in  a 
great  swirl  of  yellow  dust,  came  a  magnificent 
coach  drawn  by  twelve  white  horses.  A  lady, 
very  richly  dressed  and  wearing  many  spark- 
ling diamonds,  sat  within  the  coach.  To  Pe- 
ter's astonishment,  the  lady  was  his  Aunt  Jane. 

The  coach  stopped  with  a  great  jingling  of 
the  twelve  harnesses,  and  Aunt  Jane  leaned 
out  of  the  window,  and  said  to  Peter,  'What 
are  you  doing  here,  child?" 

I  was  on  my  way  to  your  cottage  with  a 
basket  of  fine  fresh  eggs,"  answered  Peter. 

"Well,  it 's  fortunate  I  found  you,"  said  Aunt 
Jane,  ''for  I  have  given  up  living  in  the  cot- 

46 


THE   SELLER   OF  DREAMS 

tage,  and  have  now  got  a  castle  of  my  own. 
Jump  in,  Peter,  and  don't  forget  your  basket." 
So  Peter  climbed  into  the  coach,  closed  the 
door  behind  him,  and  was  driven  away.  The 
coach  went  over  hill  and  down  dale;  it  went 
through  strange  forests  from  whose  branches 
green  parrots  whooped  and  shrieked;  it  rolled 
through  valleys  in  strange  shining  mountains. 
Peter  stole  a  look  at  Aunt  Jane  and  saw  that 
she  was  wearing  a  crown. 

Are  you  a  queen,  Aunt  Jane?"  he  asked. 
1  Indeed,  I  am/'  replied  his  aunt.  'You  see, 
Peter,  two  days  ago,  while  I  was  looking  for 
my  white  cow  who  had  strayed  away,  I  came 
upon  the  magnificent  castle  to  which  we  are 
now  going.  It  has  four  beautiful  towers,  and 
a  door  set  with  diamonds. 

Whose  castle  is  this?'  I  said  to  the  lodge- 
keeper. 

It  's  nobody's,  marm,'  said  he. 

What,'     said  I;    do  you  mean  to  say  that 
nobody  owns  this  fine  castle?' 

47 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

That's  just  what  I  mean  to  say,  marm,' 
answered  he;  'the  castle  belongs  to  any  one 
who  wants  it.' 

(  So  into  the  castle  I  walked,  and  I  did  n't  go 
out,  you  may  be  sure,  till  I  had  been  into  every 
room  that  I  could  find.  Then  I  put  on  these 
clothes  and  these  diamonds,  which  I  found  in 
a  cupboard,  and  went  down  and  told  the 
servants  I  intended  to  be  queen.  You  see, 
Peter  dear,  there  's  nothing  that  a  woman  of 
determination  and  energy  can't  accomplish." 

The  coach  rolled  on,  and  soon  Peter  caught 
sight  of  Aunt  Jane ' s  castle .  It  was  rather  large , 
and  had  an  enormous  round  tower  at  each 
corner — a  thing  which  brought  to  Peter's 
mind  the  picture  of  an  elephant  lying  on  its 
back.  Peter  and  Aunt  Jane,  accompanied  by 
a  train  of  servants  dressed  in  blue-and-buff 
livery,  walked  into  the  castle  through  the 
diamond  -  studded  door. 

'  Do  you  think  you  could  eat  a  little  more  of 
something?"  said  Aunt  Jane,  taking  off  her 

48 


THE   SELLER   OF   DREAMS 

white-kid  gloves;  '  because  if  you  can  I  '11  have 
a  place  set  for  you  at  the  luncheon  table." 

And  Peter,  who  like  all  boys,  could  eat  a  little 
more  anywhere  and  at  any  time,  readily  an- 
swered,    Yes." 

So  Peter  and  Aunt  Jane  sat  down  to  a  won- 
derful little  table  covered  with  a  snow-white 
cloth. 

"Draw  your  chair  nearer,  Peter  dear,"  said 
Aunt  Jane. 

".I  can't"  said  Peter,  'it's  stuck  to  the 
floor." 

And  so  it  was;  the  chair  was  stuck  to  the  floor, 
and  no  amount  of  pushing  or  pulling  could 
budge  it. 

"That  's  odd,"  said  Aunt  Jane;  "but  never 
mind,  I'll  push  the  table  over  to  the  chair." 

But  like  the  chair,  the  table  refused  to  budge. 
Peter  then  tried  to  slide  his  plate  of  soup  closer 
to  him,  but  the  plate,  which  the  servant  had 
placed  on  the  cloth  but  an  instant  before,  had 
evidently  frozen  to  the  table  in  some  extra- 

49 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

ordinary  manner  and  could  not  be  moved  an 
inch.  The  soup  in  the  plate,  however,  was  not 
fastened  to  the  dish,  nor  were  the  wonderful 
strawberry-cakes  and  the  delicious  ices  with 
which  the  dinner  closed. 

'  You  don't  suppose  this  castle  is  enchanted, 
do  yc .    Aunt  Jane?"  asked  Peter. 

"JV  a  bit  of  it,"  replied  Aunt  Jane.  "And 
even  if  it  were,"  she  continued  recklessly,  "I 
should  n't  mind,  for  there  's  nothing  that  a 
woman  of  determination  and  energy  can't 
accomplish."  There  was  a  pause,  and  then 
Aunt  Jane  added,  I  am  going  to  have  some 
guests  to  dinner  this  evening,  so  run  round  and 
amuse  yourself  as  well  as  you  can.  There's 
ever  so  much  to  see  in  the  castle,  and  in  the 
garden  there  's  a  pond  with  swans  in  it." 

Attended  by  her  servants,  Aunt  Jane  majes- 
tically walked  away.  Peter  spent  the  after- 
noon exploring  the  castle.  He  went  through 
room  after  room;  he  scurried  through  the  attics 
like  a  mouse,  and  was  even  lost  for  a  while  in 

50 


THE   SELLER   OF   DREAMS 

the  cellars.  And  everywhere  he  went,  he  found 
everything  immovable.  The  beds,  tables,  and 
chairs  could  neither  be  moved  about  nor  lifted 
up,  and  even  the  clocks  and  vases  were  mys- 
teriously fastened  to  their  places  on  the 
shelves. 

The  night  came  on.  Coach  after  coach  oiled 
up  to  the  diamond  vloor,  which  sparked  ;U  the 
moonlight.  When  the  guests  had  all  arrived, 
a  silver  trumpet  sounded,  and  Aunt  Jane, 
dressed  in  a  wonderful  gown  of  flowering  bro- 
cade edged  with  pearls,  came  solemnly  down 
the  great  stairway  of  the  castle  hall.  Two  little 
black  boys,  dressed  in  oriental  costume  and 
wearing  turbans,  held  up  her  gorgeous  train, 
and  she  looked  very  grand  indeed.  Peter,  to 
his  great  surprise,  found  himself  dressed  in  a 
wonderful  suit  of  plum-colored  velvet. 

'  Welcome,  my  friends,"  said  Queen  Jane,  who 
had  opened  a  wonderful  ostrich-feather  fan. 

Are  we  not  fortunate  in  having  so  beautiful 
a  night  for  our  dinner?" 

51 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

And  the  Queen,  giving  her  arm  to  a  splendid 
personage  in  the  uniform  of  an  officer  of  the 
King's  dragoons,  led  the  way  to  the  banquet- 
hall. 

The  wonderful  party,  all  silks  and  satins,  and 
gleaming  with  jewels,  swept  like  a  peacock's 
tail  behind  her.  Soon  dinner  was  over,  and 
the  guests  began  to  stray  by  twos  and  threes 
to  the  ballroom.  Aunt  Jane  and  the  soldier 
led  off  the  grand  march;  then  came  wonder- 
ful, stately  minuets,  quadrilles,  and  sweet  old- 
fashioned  waltzes.  The  merriment  was  at  its 
height  when  somebody  ran  heavily  up  the  great 
stairs  leading  to  the  ballroom,  and  the  guests, 
turning  round  to  see  whence  came  the  clatter, 
saw  standing  in  the  doorway  a  strange  old 
man  dressed  in  a  robe  of  cherry  scarlet  and 
wearing  golden  shoes.  It  was  the  seller  of 
dreams.  His  white  hair  was  disheveled,  his 
robe  was  awry,  and  there  was  dust  on  his 
golden  shoes. 

Foolish  people!"  screamed  the  old  seller  of 

52 


C( 


THE   SELLER   OF   DREAMS 

dreams,  his  voice  rising  to  a  shriek,  Run  for 
your  lives!  This  castle  lies  under  a  terrible 
enchantment;  in  a  few  minutes  it  will  turn 
upside-down.  Have  you  not  seen  that  every- 
thing is  fastened  to  the  floor?  Run  for  your 
lives!" 

Immediately  there  was  a  great  babble  of 
voices,  some  shrieks,  and  more  confusion,  and 
the  guests  ran  pell-mell  down  the  great  stairs 
and  out  the  castle  door.  To  Peter's  dismay, 
Aunt  Jane  was  not  among  them.  So  into  the 
castle  he  rushed  again,  calling  at  the  top  of 
his  voice,  Aunt  Jane!  Aunt  Jane!"  He  ran 
through  the  brilliantly  lit  and  deserted  ball- 
room; he  saw  himself  running  in  the  great  mir- 
rors of  the  gallery.  Aunt  Jane!"  he  cried;  but 
no  Aunt  Jane  replied. 

Peter  rushed  up  the  stairs  leading  to  the  castle 
tower,  and  emerged  upon  the  balcony.  He 
saw  the  black  shadow  of  the  castle  thrown  upon 
the  grass  far  below  by  the  full  moon;  he  saw 
the  great  forest,  so  bright  above  and  so  dark 

53 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

and  mysterious  below,  and  the  long  snow -clad 
range  of  the  Adamant  Mountains.  Suddenly 
a  voice,  louder  than  the  voice  of  any  human 
being,  a  voice  deep,  ringing,  and  solemn  as  the 
sound  of  a  great  bell,  cried, — 

"'T  is  time!" 

Immediately  everything  became  as  black  as 
ink,  people  shrieked,  the  enchanted  castle 
rolled  like  a  ship  at  sea,  and  leaning  far  to  one 
side,  began  to  turn  upside-down.  Peter  felt  the 
floor  of  the  balcony  tip  beneath  him;  he  tried 
to  catch  hold  of  something,  but  could  find 
nothing;  suddenly,  with  a  scream,  he  fell.  He 
was  falling,  falling,  falling,  falling,  falling. 

When  Peter  came  to  himself,  instead  of  its 
being  night,  it  was  still  noonday,  and  he  was 
sitting  on  the  same  stone  in  the  same  quiet 
roadside  grove  from  which  he  had  caught  sight 
of  his  Aunt  Jane  in  her  wonderful  coach.  A 
blue  jay  screamed  at  him  from  overhead.  For 
Aunt  Jane,  the  coach,  and  the  enchanted  castle 

54 


How  much  does  a  dream  cost  ?  ' '   asked  Peter. 
A  golden  florin,"  answered  the  Seller  of  Dreams 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

had  been  only  a  dream.  Peter,  you  see,  had 
fallen  asleep  under  the  pines,  and  while  he 
slept,  he  had  dreamed  the  dream  he  purchased 
from  the  seller  of  dreams. 

Very  glad  to  be  still  alive,  Peter  rubbed  his 
eyes,  took  up  his  basket  of  eggs,  and  went  down 
the  road  whistling. 


• 3» 

»■ 

^^ 

J 

li 

sf 

5h  '--^wliiilisk^fa^ 

.  " .'•■ .' :.'! "  .'.' K: . '; '■LVJ-.i.v-r;', ;"'.'; ri!v' il  ,r'?. !.il f'"i i: ),'i ;  l'i 

THE  TREASURE  CASTLE 


Once  upon  a  time  a  hunter  was  roaming 
through  the  wildwood  when  he  heard  a  voice 
crying  piteously  for  aid.  Following  the  sound, 
the  hunter  plunged  ahead,  and  discovered  a 
dwarf  caught  in  a  pit  which  had  been  dug  to 
trap  wild  animals. 

After  the  hunter  had  rescued  the  dwarf  from 

57 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

his  prison,  the  little  man  said  to  him:  Go  ten 
leagues  to  the  north  till  you  arrive  at  a  gigantic 
pine;  then  turn  to  the  east,  and  go  ten  leagues 
more  till  you  come  to  a  black  castle.  Enter  the 
castle  without  fear,  and  you  will  discover  a 
round  room  in  which  stands  a  round  ebony 
table  laden  with  gold  and  j  ewels .  Help  yourself 
to  the  treasure,  and  return  home  at  once.  And 
do  not — now  mark  me  well — go  up  into  the 
turret  of  the  castle;  for  if  you  do,  evil  will  come 
of  it." 

So  the  hunter  thanked  the  dwarf,  and  after 
making  sure  that  he  had  plenty  of  bread  and 
cheese  in  his  knapsack,  hurried  northwards  as 
fast  as  his  legs  could  carry  him.  Through 
bramble  and  brier,  through  valley  and  wooded 
dale  went  he,  and  at  dusk  he  came  to  a  gigantic 
pine  standing  solitary  in  a  rocky  field.  Wearied 
with  his  long  journey,  the  hunter  lay  down 
beneath  the  pine  and  slept. 

When  it  was  dawn  he  woke  refreshed,  and 
turning  his  eyes  toward  the  level  rays  of  the 

58 


THE   TREASURE   CASTLE 

rising  sun,  began  his  journey  to  the  east.  Pres- 
ently he  reached  a  height  in  the  forest,  and  from 
this  height,  he  saw,  not  very  far  away,  a  black 
turret  rising  over  the  ocean  of  bright  leaves. 
At  high  noon  he  arrived  at  the  castle.  It  was 
ruinous  and  quite  deserted;  grass  grew  in  the 
courtyard  and  between  the  bricks  of  the  terrace, 
and  the  oaken  door  was  as  soft  and  rotten  as 
a  log  that  has  long  been  buried  in  mire. 

Entering  the  castle,  the  hunter  soon  discov- 
ered the  round  room.  A  table  laden  with  won- 
derful treasures  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  cham- 
ber, directly  under  a  shower  of  sunlight  pouring 
through  a  half-ruined  window  in  the  mildewed 
wall.  How  the  diamonds  and  precious  stones 
sparkled  and  gleamed! 

Now,  while  the  hunter  was  filling  his  pockets, 
the  flash  of  a  jewel  lying  on  the  floor  happened 
to  catch  his  eye,  and  looking  down,  he  saw  that 
a  kind  of  trail  of  jewels  lay  along  the  floor  lead- 
ing out  of  the  room.  Following  the  scattered 
gems, — which  had  the  appearance  of  having 

59 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

been  spilled  from  some  treasure-casket  heaped 
too  high, —  the  hunter  came  to  a  low  door, 
and  opening  this  door,  he  discovered  a  flight  of 
stone  steps  leading  to  the  turret.  The  steps 
were  strewn  carelessly  with  the  finest  emeralds, 
topazes,  beryls,  moonstones,  rubies,  and  crys- 
tal diamonds. 

Remembering  the  counsel  of  his  friend  the 
dwarf,  however,  the  hunter  did  not  go  up  the 
stairs,  but  hurried  home  with  his  treasure. 

When  the  hunter  returned  to  his  country,  the 
wonderful  treasures  which  he  had  taken  from 
the  castle  in  the  wood  made  him  a  very  rich 
man,  and  in  a  short  time  the  news  of  his  pros- 
perity came  to  the  ears  of  the  King.  This  King 
was  the  wickedest  of  rogues,  and  his  two  best 
friends,  the  Chamberlain  and  the  Chancellor, 
were  every  bit  as  unscrupulous  as  he.  They 
oppressed  the  people  with  taxes,  they  stole  from 
the  poor,  they  robbed  the  churches;  indeed 
there  was  no  injustice  which  they  were  not  ready 
to  commit.    So,  when  the  Chamberlain  heard 

60 


THE   TREASURE   CASTLE 

of  the  hunter's  wealth,  he — being  a  direct, 
straightforward  rascal — declared  that  the  sim- 
plest thing  to  do  would  be  to  kill  the  hunter 
and  take  his  money. 

The  Chancellor,  who  was  somewhat  more  cun- 
ning and  worldly,  declared  that  it  would  be 
better  to  throw  the  hunter  into  a  foul,  dark 
dungeon  till  he  was  ready  to  buy  his  freedom 
with  all  his  wealth. 

The  King,  who  was  the  wickedest  and  wisest 
of  the  precious  three,  declared  that  the  best 
thing  to  do  was  to  find  out  whence  the  hunter 
had  got  his  treasure,  so  that,  if  there  happened 
to  be  any  left,  they  could  go  and  get  it.  Then 
of  course,  they  could  kill  the  hunter  and  take 
his  treasure  too. 

Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  by  a  royal  order  the 
hunter  was  thrown  into  a  horrible  prison,  and 
told  that  his  only  hope  of  release  lay  in  reveal- 
ing the  origin  of  his  riches.  So,  after  he  had 
been  slowly  starved  and  cruelly  beaten,  he  told 
of  the  treasure  castle  in  the  wood. 

61 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

On  the  following  morning,  the  King,  the 
Chamberlain,  and  the  Chancellor,  taking  with 
them  some  strong  linen  bags  and  some  pack- 
mules,  rode  forth  in  quest  of  the  treasure. 
Great  was  their  joy  when  they  found  the  treas- 
ure castle  and  the  treasure  room  just  as  the 
hunter  had  described.  The  Chancellor  poured 
the  shining  gems  through  his  claw-like  fingers, 
and  the  King  and  the  Chamberlain  threw  their 
arms  around  each  others'  shoulders  and  danced 
a  jig  as  well  as  their  age  and  dignity  would 
permit.  The  first  fine  careless  rapture  over, 
they  began  pouring  the  treasure  into  the  linen 
sacks  they  had  brought  with  them,  and  these, 
filled  to  the  brim,  they  carried  to  the  castle 
door. 

Soon  not  the  tiniest  gem  was  left  on  the  table. 
Suddenly  the  Chamberlain  happened  to  catch 
sight  of  the  gems  strewn  along  the  floor. 

"  See,  see!"  he  cried,  his  voice  shrill  and  greedy. 

There  is  yet  more  to  be  had!" 

So  the  three  rogues  got  down  on  their  hands 

62 


u 


THE   TREASURE   CASTLE 

and  knees  and  began  stuffing  the  stray  jewels 
into  their  bulging  pockets.  The  trail  of  jewels 
led  them  across  the  hall  to  the  little  door  open- 
ing on  the  stairway,  and  up  this  stairway  they 
scrambled  as  fast  as  they  could  go. 

At  the  top  of  the  stair,  in  the  turret,  they  found 
another  round  room  lit  by  three  narrow,  barred 
windows,  and  in  the  centre  of  this  turret  cham- 
ber, likewise  laden  with  gold  and  jewels,  they 
found  another  ebony  table.  With  shrieks  of 
delight,  the  King  and  the  Chancellor  and  the 
Chamberlain  ran  to  this  second  treasure,  and 
plunged  their  hands  in  the  glittering  golden 
mass. 

Suddenly,  a  great  bell  rang  in  the  castle,  a 
great  brazen  bell  whose  deep  clang  beat  about 
them  in  throbbing,  singing  waves. 

What's  that?"  said  the  three  rogues  in  one 
breath,  and  rushed  together  to  the  door. 

It  was  locked!  An  instant  later  there  was  a 
heavy  explosion  which  threw  them  all  to  the 
floor,  tossing  the  treasure  over  them;  and  then, 

63 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

wonder  of  wonders,  the  castle  turret,  with  the 
three  rogues  imprisoned  in  it,  detached  itself 
from  the  rest  of  the  castle,  and  flew  off  into  the 
air.  From  the  barred  windows,  the  King,  the 
Chamberlain,  and  the  Chancellor  saw  league 
upon  league  of  the  forest  rushing  by  beneath 
them.  Suddenly  the  flying  room  began  to 
descend  swiftly,  and  landed  lightly  as  a  bird 
in  the  middle  of  a  castle  courtyard.  Strange- 
looking  fellows  with  human  bodies  and  heads 
of  horses  came  rushing  toward  the  enchanted 
turret,  and  seized  its  prisoners.  In  a  few  mo- 
ments they  were  brought  before  the  King  to 
whom  the  treasure  belonged. 

Now  this  King  was  a  brother  of  the  dwarf 
whom  the  hunter  had  rescued  from  the  pit. 
He  had  a  little  gold  crown  on  his  head,  and 
sat  on  a  little  golden  throne  with  cushions  of 
crimson  velvet. 

With  what  are  these  three  charged ?"  said 
the  Dwarf-King. 

With  having  tried  to  rob  the  treasure  castle, 

64 


a 


THE   TREASURE   CASTLE 

Your  Majesty/'  replied  one  of  the  horse-headed 
servitors  in  a  firm,  stable  tone. 

Then  send  for  the  Lord  Chief  Justice  at  once," 
said  the  Dwarf-King. 

The  three  culprits  were  left  standing  uneasily 
in  a  kind  of  cage.  They  would  have  tried  to 
speak,  but  every  time  they  opened  their  mouths, 
one  of  the  guards  gave  them  a  dig  in  the  ribs. 

For  a  space  of  five  minutes  there  was  quiet  in 
the  crowded  throne-room,  a  quiet  broken  now 
and  then  by  a  veiled  cough  or  the  noise  of 
shuffling  feet.  Presently,  from  far  away,  came 
the  clear,  sweet  call  of  silver  trumpets. 

He's  coming!  He's  coming!"  murmured 
many  voices.  A  buzz  of  excitement  filled  the 
room.  Several  people  had  to  be  revived  with 
smelling  salts. 

The  trumpets  sounded  a  second  time.  The 
excitement  increased. 

The  trumpets  sounded  a  third  time,  near  at 
hand.  A  man's  voice  announced  in  solemn 
tones,  ' '  The  Lord  Chief  Justice  approaches . ' ' 

65 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

The  audience  grew  very  still.  Hardly  a  rustle 
or  a  flutter  was  heard.  Suddenly  the  great 
tapestry  curtains  which  overhung  the  door 
parted,  and  there  appeared,  first  of  all,  an 
usher,  clad  in  red  velvet  and  carrying  a  golden 
wand;  then  came  two  golden-haired  pages,  also 
clad  in  red  velvet  and  carrying  a  flat  black- 
lacquer  box  on  a  velvet  cushion.  Last  of  all 
came  an  elderly  man  dressed  in  black,  and 
carrying  a  golden  perch  on  which  sat  a  fine 
green  parrot.  On  reaching  the  centre  of  the 
hall,  the  parrot  flapped  its  wings,  arranged  an 
upstart  feather  or  two,  and  then  resumed  that 
solemn  dignity  for  which  birds  and  animals 
are  so  justly  famous. 

With  great  ceremony  the  gentleman  in  black 
placed  the  Lord  Chief  Justice  on  a  lacquer 
stand  close  by  the  throne  of  the  Dwarf-King. 

Trumpets  sounded.  Two  servitors  hurried 
forward  with  the  captive  King. 

Your  Venerability,"  spoke  the  Dwarf-King 
to  the  parrot,  who  watched  him  intently  out 

66 


THE   TREASURE   CASTLE 

of  its  round  yellow  eye,  and  nodded  its  head, 

'this  rascal  has  been  taken  in  the  act  of  rob- 
bing the  treasure  castle.  What  punishment 
do  you  suggest?" 

At  these  words,  the  two  golden-haired  pages, 
advancing  with  immense  solemnity,  lifted  the 
lacquer  box  to  within  reach  of  the  parrot's 
beak.  The  box  was  full  of  cards.  Over  them, 
swaying  from  one  leg  to  the  other  as  he  did  so, 
the  parrot  swept  his  head. 

An  icy  silence  fell  over  the  throng.  The  King, 
the  Chancellor,  and  the  Chamberlain  quaked 
in  their  shoes.  Presently  the  parrot  picked  out 
a  card,  and  the  gentleman  in  black  handed  it 
to  the  Dwarf-King. 

Prisoner,"  said  the  Dwarf-King  to  the  other 
King,  the  Lord  Chief  Justice  condemns  you 
to  be  for  the  rest  of  your  natural  life  Master 
Sweeper  of  the  Palace  Chimneys." 

Discreet  applause  was  heard.  The  Chancellor 
was  then  hurried  forward,  and  the  bird  picked 
out  a  second  card. 

67 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 


it 


Prisoner/'  said  the  Dwarf-King,  the  Lord 
Chief  Justice  condemns  you  to  be  for  the  rest 
of  your  natural  life  Master  Washer  of  the 
Palace  Windows." 

More  discreet  applause  was  heard.  And  now 
the  Chamberlain  was  brought  to  the  bar.  The 
parrot  gave  him  quite  a  wicked  eye,  and  hesi- 
tated for  some  time  before  drawing  a  card. 

Prisoner,"  said  the  Dwarf-King,  reading  the 
card  which  the  parrot  had  finally  chosen,  "the 
Lord  Chief  Justice  condemns  you  for  the  rest 
of  your  natural  life  to  be  Master  Beater  of  the 
Palace  Carpets." 

Great  applause  followed  this  sage  judgment. 

So  the  three  rogues  were  led  away,  and  unless 
you  have  heard  to  the  contrary,  they  are  still 
making  up  for  their  wicked  lives  by  enforced 
diligence  at  their  tasks.  The  palace  has  five 
hundred  and  ninety-six  chimneys,  eight  thou- 
sand, seven  hundred  and  fifty-three  windows, 
and  eleven  hundred  and  ninety-nine  large  dust- 
gathering  carpets,  and  the  chimneys,  windows, 

68 


THE  TREASURE   CASTLE 

and  carpets  have  to  be  swept,  washed,  and 
beaten  at  least  once  a  week. 

Now  when  the  King,  the  Chancellor,  and  the 
Chamberlain  failed  to  return,  the  people  took 
the  hunter  out  of  his  prison  and  made  him 
king,  because  he  was  the  richest  and  most 
powerful  of  them  all. 

As  for  the  treasure  of  the  treasure  castle,  it  is 
still  there,  packed  in  the  linen  sacks,  lying  just 
inside  the  great  door. 

Perhaps  some  day  you  may  find  it.  If  you 
do,  don't  be  greedy,  and  don't  go  up  to  the 
turret  chamber. 


PRINCE  SNEEZE 


Once  upon  a  time  a  king  and  a  queen  gave  a 
magnificent  party  in  honor  of  the  christening 
of  their  new-born  son,  Prince  Rolandor.  To 
this  party  the  royal  parents  took  good  care  to 
invite  every  single  fairy  in  Fairyland,  for  they 
knew  very  well  the  unhappy  consequences  of 
forgetting   to   invite   fairies   to   christenings. 

70 


PRINCE   SNEEZE 

When  all  the  invitations  had  been  sent  out,  the 
Queen  went  down  to  the  kitchen  to  superin- 
tend the  cooking  of  the  master-dainty  of  the 
feast,  a  huge  strawberry-tart. 

The  morning  on  which  the  grand  ceremony 
was  to  take  place  arrived.  At  half-past  ten 
the  Court  Astrologer,  who  was  master  of  cere- 
monies, gave  the  order  to  form  in  line;  and  at 
ten  minutes  to  eleven  the  splendid  procession 
started  for  the  church.  The  road  was  lined 
with  the  King's  vassals  shouting,  Hurrah, 
hurrah!"  Countless  little  elves  with  gauzy 
wings  watched  from  the  branches  of  the  trees; 
and  the  great  cathedral  bells  went  clang,  bang, 
clang,  as  merrily  as  could  be. 

Just  behind  the  royal  body-guard  came  the 
King's  gold-and-diamond  coach  shining  in  the 
sunlight  of  June,  with  the  King  and  the  Queen 
in  it  on  one  side  and  the  Court  Astrologer  and 
the  fairy  Titania,  prospective  godparents  of 
the  little  Prince,  on  the  other.  The  Prince  him- 
self, swathed  in  a  wonderful  silk  mantle  edged 

71 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

with  pearls  and  turquoises,  slept  in  the  Astrol- 
oger's arms. 

The  procession  entered  the  church,  where  the 
venerable  Lord  Archbishop,  surrounded  by  a 
magnificent  choir,  was  awaiting  its  coming. 
A  hush  went  over  the  great  assembly  as  the 
parents  and  the  godparents  advanced  to  the 
flower-decked  font,  and  the  silence  lasted  until 
His  Eminence  had  sprinkled  the  Prince  and 
given  him  the  name  of  Rolandor.  Then  the 
bells  rang  again,  the  organ  roared  so  that  the 
windows  shook  in  their  casements,  and  the 
choristers  sang  like  birds  on  a  summer  after- 
noon. 

The  christening  over,  the  procession  went 
back  to  the  castle,  past  the  waiting  rows  of 
bystanders,  not  one  of  whom  had  changed  his 
place  or  gone  away,  so  superb  had  been  the 
spectacle. 

The  christening  banquet  was  laid  in  the  great 
hall  of  the  castle,  and,  thanks  to  the  Court 
Astrologer,  things  went  off  beautifully.  It  was 

72 


PRINCE   SNEEZE 

the  only  large  banquet  ever  known  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  world  where  courses  were  served  all 
at  one  time,  and  while  one  person  was  finish- 
ing an  ice,  another  was  not  beginning  with  the 
soup.  Nor  was  the  menu  mixed,  which  hap- 
pens so  frequently  to-day  that  you  are  apt  to 
have  soup,  ice,  cake,  roast,  soup,  and  a  roast 
again.  No,  from  soup  to  ice  the  banquet  was 
a  huge  success;  but,  alas,  disaster  came  with 
the  strawberry-tart. 

As  the  Queen  was  chatting  with  the  Lord 
Chancellor  of  the  Enchanted  Islands,  she  hap- 
pened to  notice  —  for  like  a  good  hostess  she 
had  been  keeping  an  eye  to  the  comfort  of  her 
guests  —  that  nobody  on  the  right-hand  side 
of  the  hall  had  been  served  with  strawberry- 
tart.  Almost  at  the  same  moment,  the  chief 
cook,  looking  rather  pale  and  worried,  bustled 
through  the  throng  and  whispered  in  her  ear, 

Your  Majesty,  the  strawberry-tart  has  given 
out!" 

The  Queen  turned  pale.  At  length  she  man- 

73 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

aged  to  ask  in  a  weak  voice,    'Have  you  plenty 
of  other  pastries?" 

"  Yes,  Your  Majesty,"  replied  the  cook. 
Then  let  them  be  served  at  once." 

The  cook  withdrew,  and  the  Queen,  though 
somewhat  shaken,  took  up  the  conversation 
again.  Ten  minutes  passed,  and  she  was  be- 
ginning to  forget  her  start,  when  a  voice,  rising 
clear  and  rasping  over  the  hubbub  of  the  hall, 
said  suddenly,  Where's  my  piece  of  straw- 
berry-tart?" 

Everybody  turned  toward  the  speaker,  an 
elderly  fairy  from  the  Kingdom  of  the  Black 
Mountains,  named  Malvolia.  She  stood  up 
in  her  place,  her  arms  akimbo,  glowering  at 
her  plate,  on  which  an  attendant  had  just  de- 
posited a  small  chocolate  eclair. 

"  Where's  my  piece  of  strawberry-tart  ?"  she 
repeated. 

The  Queen  rose.  'I  am  very  sorry,  Madam 
Malvolia,"  said  she  in  her  sweetest  voice,  but 
the  strawberry-tart  has  given  out." 

74 


u 


PRINCE   SNEEZE 

Hoity-toity/'    answered    Malvolia   rudely; 

you  mean  that  you  only  baked  enough  for 
your  own  personal  friends." 

At  this  several  guests  cried,  Sh!  Sh!"  and 
the  King  began  to  look  worried. 

"We  will  send  for  some  at  once/'  announced 
His  Majesty. 

"Oh  yes,  —  strawberry-tart  baked  by  the 
Queen's  own  hands  for  her  own  dear  friends," 
said  Malvolia  sneeringly;  but  for  me,  a  fairy 
of  age  and  distinction,  an  ordinary,  low  baker's 
eclair.  The  Kingdom  of  the  Black  Mountains 
has  been  deliberately  insulted  in  my  person!" 

"No,  no,  no,  no!"  cried  the  King  and  the 
Queen.  We  assure  you,  madam,  that  it  was 
a  simple  mischance." 

"Pish  and  tush!"  replied  Malvolia,  who,  like 
a  great  many  people,  secretly  enjoyed  feeling 
herself  aggrieved.  I  consider  the  affair  an 
affront,  a  deliberate  affront.  And  you  shall 
pay  dear  for  this  humiliation,"  she  screamed, 
quickly  losing  control  of  her  temper.       Every 

75 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

time  the  Prince  sneezes  something  shall  change 
until—  " 

At  this  very  moment,  alas,  a  northeast  wind 
blew  gustily  through  the  open  windows  of  the 
hall,  shaking  the  tapestries  from  the  walls, 
and  carrying  away  the  last  of  Malvolia's  sen- 
tence. The  angry  fairy  turned  herself  into  a 
great  black  raven  and  flew,  cawing  hoarsely, 
over  the  heads  of  the  banqueters  and  out  of  the 
window  with  the  wind. 

A  baby's  cry  was  heard,  and  the  King  and  the 
Queen  rushed  panic-stricken  to  where  their 
little  son  lay  in  his  cradle  on  a  raised  platform 
at  the  head  of  the  hall.  The  little  Prince's  fat, 
pink  face  was  twisted  into  dreadful  lines;  he 
opened  his  mouth  wide  several  times  and  half 
closed  it  again;  then,  opening  it  wider  than 
ever,  he  sneezed  a  terrible  sneeze. 

There  came  a  loud  clap  of  thunder.  When 
the  confusion  was  over,  the  Court  Astrologer 
was  found  to  have  turned  into  an  eight-day 
clock,  with  a  sun,  moon,  and  stars  arrange- 

76 


PRINCE   SNEEZE 

ment,  a  planetary  indicator,  and  a  calendar 
calculated  for  two  thousand  years.  The  ban- 
quet ended  rather  gloomily,  although  the  gifts 
of  the  other  fairies,  such  as  health,  wealth,  and 
beauty,  managed  to  make  everyone  a  little 
more  cheerful. 

When  the  guests  were  gone,  the  King  and 
Queen  sent  for  Doctor  Pill,  the  court  physician, 
to  consult  him  in  regard  to  the  measures  which 
ought  to  be  taken  to  prevent  the  Prince's 
sneezing.  As  for  the  poor  Court  Astrologer,  he 
was  hung  up  in  the  sacristy  of  the  cathedral, 
and  every  eight  days  his  wife  wound  him  up, 
with  tears. 

'  What  shall  we  do,  doctor?"  asked  the  King 
rather  mournfully. 

The  Prince  must  be  preserved  from  the 
things  which  cause  sneezing,"  said  the  doctor 
sagely. 

"Such  as  draughts?"  suggested  the  King. 
Draughts,  head-colds,  snuff,  and  pepper," 
answered  the  leech.      Let  his  little  highness  be 

77 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

put  into  a  special  suite  of  rooms;  admit  no 
person  to  them  until  he  has  been  examined  for 
head-cold,  and  has  put  on  germ-proof  garments; 
and  as  his  little  highness  grows  older,  forbid 
the  use  of  pepper  in  his  food.  Better  still,  if 
Your  Majesty  has  a  castle  in  the  mountains, 
let  the  Prince  be  taken  there  for  the  sake  of  the 
purer  air." 

There  is  the  tower  on  the  Golden  Mountain, '  • 
said  the  King. 

At  this  the  Queen  began  to  weep  again,  for 
she,  quite  naturally,  did  not  wish  to  part  with 
her  child. 

But,  my  dear,  we  can't  have  him  sneezing, 
and  things  changing  all  the  time,"  said  the 
King. 

"I  beg  Your  Majesty  to  consider  the  danger 
of  a  head-cold,"  put  in  the  doctor. 

"Yes,  think  of  the  danger  of  a  head-cold," 
echoed  the  King,  who  saw  clearer  than  the 
Queen  the  chaos  that  might  result  if  the  Prince 
was  attacked  by  a  prolonged  fit  of  sneezing. 

78 


PRINCE   SNEEZE 

People  with  head-colds  may  sneeze  ten  or 
fifteen  times  a  day." 

'  Or  fifty,"  said  the  doctor. 
Or  fifty,"  echoed  the  King  again,  shaking 
his  head,  for  he  was  torn  between  paternal  love 
and  kingly  duty.  "  Imagine  fifty  enchant- 
ments in  a  day!  By  eventide  the  whole  king- 
dom would  be  upset,  undone,  and  the  people 
plotting  a  revolution." 

The  tower  on  the  Golden  Mountain  is  in  a 
fine  healthful  locality,"  said  the  doctor,  and 
the  Prince  could  be  brought  up  as  happily 
there  as  in  the  palace." 

So  at  length  the  Queen  consented.  In  a  few 
days  the  little  Prince,  who  had  not  sneezed  a 
second  time,  was  removed  to  the  tower  on  the 
Golden  Mountain.  His  room,  designed  by 
Doctor  Pill,  was  completely  protected  from 
draughts,  and  every  breath  of  air  that  entered 
it  was  tri-bi-sterilized.  Mrs.  Pill,  who  had 
been  a  hospital  nurse,  took  care  of  him.  Three 
times  a  week,  on  Mondays,  Wednesdays,  and 

79 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

Fridays,  his  royal  parents  rode  out  to  the 
tower,  and  after  putting  on  germ-proof  gar- 
ments, were  admitted  to  the  nursery  of  their 
infant  son. 

And  so  the  years  went  by.  Nobody  was 
found  able  to  break  Malvolia's  spell,  and  the 
clue  to  its  undoing  had  been  carried  away  by 
the  wind.    Malvolia  herself  had  disappeared. 

The  Prince  became  a  handsome  little  boy. 
Accomplished  teachers  taught  him  history, 
music,  drawing,  dancing,  and  all  the  other 
things  that  a  prince  ought  to  know.  But  of 
real  life  he  knew  almost  nothing  at  all. 

His  most  faithful  friend  during  these  lonely 
years  was  a  French  poodle,  who  spoke  both 
French  and  English  exceedingly  well.  Of 
course,  he  had  a  marked  canine  accent,  rather 
growling  his  g's  and  howling  the  aw's  and  the 
ow's,  but  his  words  were  well  chosen  and  his 
vocabulary  extensive.  Never  was  seen  a  more 
friendly,  wise,  and  devoted  animal. 

When  the  King  decided  to  have  him  sent  away 

80 


PRINCE   SNEEZE 

for  a  while,  for  he  feared  that  his  son  was  get- 
ting a  touch  of  Poldo's  barky  manner  of  speak- 
ing, from  too  close  an  association,  the  little 
Prince  became  really  ill  from  grief,  and  the 
King  was  forced  to  alter  his  decision. 

During  his  imprisonment  in  the  tower,  in 
spite  of  all  precautions,  the  Prince  sneezed  three 
times.  At  the  first  sneeze,  all  the  dogs  in  the 
kingdom  except  Poldo  changed  into  cats,  and 
all  the  cats  into  dogs.  Though  this  was  not 
a  serious  trouble,  the  change  was  certainly 
inconvenient.  All  the  dog-cats  came  out  meow- 
ing at  people  as  the  dogs  used  to  bark  at  them, 
and  they  chased  people  down  the  street;  the 
cat-dogs,  on  the  other  hand,  stayed  in  the 
kitchen  under  the  stove,  and  watched  for  mice 
in  the  pantry.  Great  St.  Bernards  might  be 
seen  licking  their  paws  and  rubbing  them  over 
their  foreheads,  and  fat,  old  cat-lap-dogs  used 
to  try  to  purr. 

At  the  second  sneeze,  all  the  elderly  gentle- 
men over  seventy  changed  into  elm  trees,  a 

81 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

proceeding  that  caused  a  terrible  lot  of  trouble. 

At  the  third  sneeze,  all  the  people  in  the  pic- 
tures at  the  Art  Museum  became  alive,  and  for 
a  week  the  soldiers  of  the  royal  guard  spent 
most  of  their  time  rescuing  poor,  bewildered 
fauns,  satyrs,  nymphs,  Roman  senators,  and 
long  dead  celebrities  and  historical  person- 
ages from  the  worst  destitution.  The  King 
finally  had  to  build  a  special  castle  for  them. 

As  the  Prince's  twenty-first  birthday  drew 
near,  he  began  to  feel  very  sad  at  the  idea  of 
having  to  stay  shut  up  in  the  tower  all  his 
life.  Though  he  was  a  very  brave  and  very 
manly  young  man,  he  lay  down  on  his  couch 
and  wept  in  sorrow. 

Suddenly,  standing  with  his  forepaws  on  the 
coverlet,  Why  do  you  weep,  dear  master?' ' 
said  the  little  dog. 

At  my  fate,"  replied  the  poor  Prince.  I 
cannot  bear  to  think  that  I  may  have  to  spend 
all  my  days  in  this  tower,  and  never  see  the 
great  wide  world." 

82 


PRINCE   SNEEZE 

The  poodle  was  silent  for  a  few  minutes.  At 
length  he  said,  Dear  Prince  Rolandor,  do  not 
give  up  hope.  Have  you  ever  thought  of  con- 
sulting my  old  master,  the  Giant  of  the  North 
Pole?  He  has  a  large  chest  in  his  palace  full 
of  secrets  which  the  winds  have  overheard,  and 
perhaps  the  key  to  Malvolia's  spell  is  among 
them.  If  you  will  have  a  warm  fur  coat  and 
four  fur  boots  made  for  me,  I  will  go  to  the 
Giant  and  ask  him." 

The  Prince  gave  his  consent,  and  on  the  next 
day  the  royal  tailor  made  the  poodle  a  mag- 
nificent sealskin  coat  and  four  splendid  fur- 
lined  boots.  Then  the  King  wished  him  good 
speed,  the  Queen  cried  over  him,  and  the 
Prince,  who  could  see  from  his  high  tower 
every  corner  of  the  kingdom,  watched  him  till 
he  disappeared  over  the  hills  and  far  away. 

Straight  north  the  poodle  ran.  Soon  he  had 
left  the  fertile  plains  behind  him,  and  entered 
great,  black  pine  forests  where  never  a  road 
was  to  be  seen.    The  cold  wind  howled  through 

83 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

the  trees,  and  at  night  the  brilliant  stars 
sparkled  over  the  dark  and  waving  branches. 
Hungry  wolves  and  savage  bears  often  pur- 
sued him,  but  somehow  he  always  managed  to 
escape  them  all.  At  the  end  of  the  forest  he 
found  the  frozen  ocean  lit  by  the  shuddering 
light  of  the  aurora,  flashing  in  a  great  fan  from 
east  to  west.  Past  white-tusked  walruses  and 
sleepy  penguins  he  flew,  till  on  the  eleventh  day 
he  saw  the  green,  icy  pinnacles  of  the  Giant's 
palace  against  the  waving  curtain  of  the  Polar 
lights.  On  the  evening  of  the  twelfth  day  he 
entered  the  castle. 

The  Giant  of  the  North  Pole  was  a  tall, 
strong,  yellow-haired  fellow  wearing  a  crown 
of  ice  and  a  great  sweeping  mantle  made  from 
the  white  fur  of  the  polar  bear.  His  servants 
were  the  Gusts, — strange,  supple,  shadowy 
creatures  moving  quickly  to  and  fro, —  and  his 
courtiers  were  the  whirlwinds  and  the  storms. 
The  Giant's  wife  sat  by  his  side;  she  had  dark 
hair  and  eyes  of  icy,  burning  blue. 

84 


PRINCE   SNEEZE 

.  Welcome,  little  Poldo,"  said  the  Giant;  and 
his  voice  sounded  like  the  wind  in  the  tree- 
tops;  "what  seek  you  here?" 

I  seek  some  words  of  the  Fairy  Malvolia 
which  were  carried  away  by  the  northeast  wind 
at  Prince  Rolandor's  christening,"  replied  the 
poodle. 

Whew,  oo-oo,"  whistled  the  Giant  of  the 
North  Pole.  If  I  have  them,  the  words  are 
yours." 

He  summoned  two  Gusts  to  bring  forth  the 
chest  of  secrets.  It  was  made  of  black  stone, 
and  edged  with  diamonds  of  ice.  In  it  were 
stored  all  the  mysteries  which  the  wind  had 
ever  overheard;  there  were  secrets,  confessions, 
vows,  merry  laughs,  and  simple  words.  And 
sure  enough,  in  the  corner  of  the  chest  lay  the 
rest  of  Malvolia's  spell — a  row  of  little,  old- 
fashioned,  dusty  words;  the  words:  'Until  he 
finds  someone  brave  enough  to  marry  him." 

So  the  good  poodle  learned  the  words  by 
heart,  thanked  the  Giant,  and  hurried  home 

85 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

with  the  message.  When  he  came  to  the  King's 
palace,  he  ran,  barking  with  joy,  right  into  the 
King's  own  room.  There  he  saw  the  unhappy 
parents. 

"Have  you  found  the  last  of  the  sentence?" 
cried  the  Queen. 

"  Yes,"  said  Poldo.  "The  spell  will  end  when 
the  prince  marries." 

That  very  evening  the  King  and  the  Queen 
sent  forth  ambassadors  to  ask  for  the  hand  of 
the  loveliest  princess  of  all  Fairyland,  Princess 
Adatha  of  the  Adamant  Mountains.  But  so 
afraid  was  Adatha  of  being  turned  into  some- 
thing else,  that  she  refused  the  offer. 

The  King  and  the  Queen  then  made  a  request 
for  the  hand  of  Princess  Alicia  of  the  Crystal 
Lakes.  But  Alicia  also  was  afraid  of  being 
turned  into  something  else,  and  she  too  re- 
fused the  alliance.  So  did  the  Princess  of  the 
Golden  Coasts,  the  Princess  of  the  Seven  Cities, 
and  many  others.  Finally  the  only  princess 
left  in  all  Fairyland  was  a  princess  who  herself 

86 


PRINCE   SNEEZE 

lay  under  an  enchantment.  A  jealous  witch 
had  turned  her  golden  hair  bright  blue,  and 
given  her  a  nose  a  foot  long.  This  unhappy 
maiden  was  the  only  princess  willing  to  accept 
poor  Rolandor. 

The  wedding  day  arrived.  The  Prince,  though 
perhaps  a  little  pale  from  his  confined  life, 
looked  very  handsome,  and  led  his  ugly  bride 
to  the  altar  like  a  man.  Just  exactly  as  the 
marriage  ceremony  was  half  over,  a  spasm 
contorted  the  muscles  of  the  Prince's  face;  the 
poor  young  man  felt  strongly  inclined  to  sneeze. 
Though  he  could  be  seen  making  heroic  efforts 
to  control  the  impulse,  the  audience  got  very 
nervous  and  panicky. 

All  was  in  vain!  The  Prince  sneezed,  "Ker 
choo!"  A  terrific  clap  of  thunder  rent  the  air, 
and  everybody  looked  about  to  see  what  had 
happened. 

The  effect  of  the  sneeze  was  an  odd  one.  As 
it  had  occurred  exactly  at  the  moment  when 
the  Prince    was  half-married,  the  spell   had 

87 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

reacted  upon  itself.  Just  like  a  kick  from  a 
gun/'  Dr.  Pill  said  next  day. 

The  cats  became  dogs  again,  and  the  dogs 
became  cats;  the  elm  trees  became  cross ,  elderly 
gentlemen  looking  for  their  families;  the  poor, 
excited  Roman  senators,  fauns,  nymphs,  satyrs, 
celebrities  and  historical  personages,  went  back 
to  their  pictures;  and  to  cap  the  climax,  the 
ugly  bride  became  once  more  her  sweet  and 
lovely  self. 

While  everybody  was  cheering,  who  should 
walk  out  of  the  sacristy  but  the  Court  Astrol- 
oger! An  instant  later,  he  had  fallen  into  the 
affectionate  arms  of  the  faithful  wife  who  had 
wound  him  up  for  twenty-one  years. 

After  the  wedding  reception,  the  Prince  and 
his  bride  went  on  a  honeymoon  to  the  En- 
chanted Islands.  As  for  Poldo  the  poodle,  he 
was  created  Prime  Minister  and  lived  to  a  fine 
old  age. 


MARIANNA 


Once  upon  a  time  a  wicked  nobleman  rose  in 
rebellion  against  his  rightful  king,  and  taking 
the  royal  forces  by  surprise,  defeated  them  and 
seized  the  kingdom.  The  dethroned  King, 
who  had  been  severely  wounded  in  battle,  was 
cast  in  prison,  where  he  soon  died;  but  his 
widow,  the  Queen,  managed  to  escape  from  the 

89 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

palace  before  the  usurper  could  lay  hands  upon 
her. 

Into  the  dark  forest  which  lay  behind  the 
palace  ran  the  Queen,  holding  her  baby  daugh- 
ter in  her  arms.  It  was  winter  time,  and  a 
heavy  snow  had  hidden  the  foot-paths  and  the 
roads.  Presently  the  Queen  realized  that  she 
was  lost.  All  afternoon,  however,  she  trudged 
bravely  on  through  the  silence  and  the  cold, 
her  heart  sinking  as  mile  after  mile  revealed 
no  sign  of  a  house  or  a  shelter. 

But  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  red  shield 
of  the  sun  could  scarcely  be  seen  through  the 
tangle  of  the  wild  wood-branches,  she  per- 
ceived a  light  coming  from  a  little  grove  of 
cedars  by  the  shore  of  a  frozen  lake.  The 
Queen  made  her  way  toward  this  light,  and 
discovered  a  little  thatched  hut  in  the  silent 
wood;  it  was  the  house  of  one  of  the  dwarfs  of 
the  forest.  The  dwarf  took  pity  on  the  Queen, 
but  his  efforts  were  vain,  for  the  poor  woman 
was  so  weak  and  exhausted  that  she  died  with- 

90 


MARIANNA 

out  telling  the  dwarf  anything  about  herself 
or  the  child  she  carried. 

So  the  little  dwarf,  who  was  a  good,  kind  old 
fellow,  brought  the  little  girl  up  as  if  she  were 
his  own  child.  His  brother,  the  dwarf  of  the 
mountain,  made  her  the  prettiest  red-leather 
shoes,  and  his  cousins,  the  dwarfs  of  the  pines, 
made  the  little  girl  dresses  from  cloth  woven 
on  fairy  looms. 

Now,  on  the  night  her  mother  brought  her 
to  the  hut,  the  little  girl  was  wearing  a  golden 
heart-shaped  locket,  with  a  crown  and  the 
letter  M  upon  it  in  diamonds.  So  the  dwarf 
called  the  little  girl  Marianna. 

Seventeen  years  passed,  and  Marianna  grew 
to  be  quite  the  loveliest  lass  in  all  the  world. 
Her  hair  was  as  black  as  the  raven's  wing,  her 
eyes  were  as  blue  as  the  midsummer  sea,  and 
her  skin  was  fair  as  the  petal  of  a  rose.  One 
spring  morning  a  little  yellow  bird  flew  into 
the  cedar  grove,  and  gave  the  dwarf  a  letter 
which  it  held  in  its  beak. 

91 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

The  dwarf  read  the  letter,  and  said  to  Mari- 
anna, Little  Marianna,  the  Emperor  of  the 
Elves  has  bidden  me  come  to  the  great  assem- 
bly of  the  dwarfs  which  is  to  be  held  next  year 
on  the  Golden  Mountain.  Alas,  what  are  we 
to  do  ?  I  can  not  take  you  with  me,  dear  child, 
for  it  is  forbidden  on  pain  of  death  to  bring 
mortals  to  the  assembly,  nor  can  I  leave  you 
here  in  this  lonely  wood." 

To  this  Marianna  replied,  Do  not  fear,  dear 
father.  Give  me  but  yon  crystal  flask  of  the 
water  of  healing,  and  I  shall  go  forth  into  the 
world  until  it  is  time  for  you  to  return  again. 
Perhaps  I  shall  discover  somebody  who  can 
tell  me  the  meaning  of  this  locket,  or  the  his- 
tory of  my  dear  mother." 

So  the  dwarf  took  his  knotted  staff,  and  went 
away  over  hill,  over  dale  to  the  Golden  Moun- 
tain. 

Then  Marianna  took  the  crystal  flask  of  the 
water  of  healing,  and  walked  boldly  out  of 
the  wood  into  the  wide,  wide  world.    It  was 

92 


MARIANNA 

the  middle  of  the  spring,  the  ice  and  snow  had 
all  disappeared;  the  trees  were  putting  forth 
their  leaves,  and  there  were  clusters  of  prim- 
roses by  the  roadside.  In  the  swaying,  rust- 
ling heart  of  a  great  elm  tree,  a  little  thrush 
was  singing.  Through  cities  and  towns  went 
lovely  Marianna,  bringing  good  cheer  to  the 
helpless  and  the  sick,  and  curing  all  who  came 
to  her,  rich  and  poor,  with  the  wonderful 
water  of  healing.  But  never  did  she  find  any- 
body who  could  tell  her  about  the  gold  heart 
with  the  diamond  crown. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that,  as  Marianna  was 
one  day  walking  through  a  village  in  the  heart 
of  the  Adamant  Mountains,  a  ragged  old 
woman  besought  her  with  tears  to  come  to  a 
hamlet  which  stood  at  the  head  of  a  high  and 
dangerous  path.  Touched  by  the  old  woman's 
supplication,  Marianna  followed  her  to  the 
hamlet,  and  found  in  a  wretched  hut,  lying  on 
a  wretched  bed,  a  beautiful  young  peasant  girl 
dying  of  a  fever.  So  Marianna  touched  the  girl 

93 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

with  the  water  of  healing,  and  in  an  instant 
she  became  well  and  strong. 

Dear  lady/'  said  the  peasant  girl,  pressing 
Marianna's  hand  to  her  lips,  how  sweet  and 
kind  thou  art!    Great  is  the  debt  I  owe  thee." 

And  as  the  girl  poured  out  her  thanks,  Mari- 
anna  heard  a  faint  chirp,  chirp/'  and  looking 
down,  beheld  a  little  yellow  bird  crouching  on 
the  hearthstone.  Every  now  and  then  he  hid 
his  head  under  his  wings  and  cried  unhappily. 
It  was  the  yellow  bird  which  had  brought  the 
message  from  the  Emperor  of  the  Elves. 

'Poor  little  bird/7  said  Marianna,  bending 
down  and  taking  him  up  in  her  hands,  why 
criest  thou  so  mournfully  ?  Who  hath  done 
thee  harm  ?" 

But  the  bird  uttered  only  a  forlorn  little  cry, 
and  hid  his  head  again  under  his  wings. 

I  found  him  on  the  rocks  at  the  mountain- 
top  yesterday/'  said  the  mother.  Someone 
has  wounded  him.     His  wing  is  broken." 

And  she  put  the  bird  on  the  floor  of  the  house 

94 


MARIANNA 

and  bade  Marianna  watch  how  he  fluttered 
trailing  a  wing  in  the  dust.  Again  Marianna 
stooped,  and  picking  up  the  bird,  touched  the 
wounded  wing  with  the  water  of  healing. 
Scarcely  had  she  done  so,  when  the  yellow  bird 
burst  into  a  joyous  and  golden  song,  and  fly- 
ing to  the  window,  beat  madly  against  the 
panes.  Then  the  peasant  girl  threw  open  the 
casement,  and  the  yellow  bird  flew  out  into  the 
streaming  sun. 

'He  is  gone  forever,"  said  the  peasant  girl. 

'Nay,  he  returns,"  said  Marianna,  gently, 
as  the  yellow  bird  flew  back  and  perched  in  the 
sheltering  bower  of  Marianna's  arms.  Then, 
accompanied  by  the  peasant  girl  and  the  yel- 
low bird,  who  flew  singing  before  her,  Mari- 
anna went  down  the  dangerous  path  to  the 
high  road  in  the  valley.  When  they  reached 
the  foot  of  the  path,  the  peasant  girl  cried:  — 
Farewell,  dear  Marianna;  may  it  some  day 
be  mine  to  repay  thee!" 

Into  the  world  again  went  Marianna,  and 

95 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

with  her  went  the  yellow  bird.  Presently  she 
came  to  the  fairest  land  which  she  had  ever 
seen,  a  land  of  rolling  fields,  little  hills,  and 
rivers  bordered  with  pale  willow  trees.  This 
pleasant  land,  unknown  to  Marianna,  was  part 
of  her  father's  kingdom,  and  she  was  really 
its  queen  because  her  father  had  been  the  last 
rightful  king. 

Now  while  Marianna  had  been  in  the  forest, 
the  wicked  nobleman  who  had  stolen  the  king- 
dom from  Marianna's  father  had  died,  leav- 
ing his  brother  Garabin  in  charge  of  the  king- 
dom and  of  the  interests  of  his  little  son,  Prince 
Desire.  This  Garabin,  however,  taking  ad- 
vantage of  the  youth  and  helplessness  of  his 
nephew,  had  himself  assumed  the  state  and 
airs  of  king.  For  some  time  he  had  enjoyed 
undisturbed  the  possession  of  his  stolen 
throne;  but  as  Desire  grew  taller  and  stronger 
every  year,  Garabin  began  to  fear  the  day 
when  he  would  be  compelled  to  resign  in  favor 
of  his  nephew. 

96 


MARIANNA 

When  the  Prince  reached  his  twentieth  year, 
Garabin  would  certainly  have  killed  him  openly 
had  he  dared;  but,  fearing  the  people,  he  re- 
solved, to  use  secret  methods,  and  bribed  a 
cruel  magician  to  afflict  poor  Desire  with  a 
deadly  and  mysterious  malady.  Of  this  mal- 
ady, Desire  was  slowly  dying,  for  no  medicine 
could  cure  him  or  even  give  him  any  relief  from 
his  constant  pain.  Every  morning  the  cruel 
Garabin,  in  the  hope  of  finding  his  nephew 
dead,  would  go  to  the  sick  room;  and  you  may 
be  sure  that  his  wicked  heart  rejoiced  when  he 
found  the  Prince  weaker  and  more  feverish. 

Garabin  had  just  returned  from  a  visit  to 
the  Prince,  who  was  rapidly  failing,  when  the 
Captain  of  the  Castle  Guard  came  to  him  with 
the  news  that  the  wonderful  Marianna  had 
arrived  in  the  kingdom.  The  King  gave  orders 
that  she  be  brought  before  him.  So  Marianna, 
walking  between  two  halberdiers  and  followed 
across  the  courtyard  by  crowds  of  curious 
people,  was  led  before  the  King.     The  little 

97 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

yellow  bird  sat  on  Marianna's  shoulder,  and 
never  did  maiden  appear  lovelier  or  more 
gentle. 

Scarcely  had  Garabin  set  eyes  on  Marianna, 
when  he  caught  sight  of  the  golden  locket 
which  she  wore  about  her  neck.  Had  he  not 
been  very  old  and  crafty,  he  would  have  started 
from  his  golden  throne,  for  he  knew  that  the 
little  golden  heart  set  with  diamonds  had  been 
one  of  the  crown  jewels,  and  that  therefore 
Marianna  must  be  the  missing  Princess,  and 
rightful  queen  of  the  kingdom. 

What  was  he  to  do  ?  If  he  refused  to  let  Mari- 
anna help  the  Prince,  the  people  might  begin 
to  suspect  him,  and  start  a  revolution  which 
would  thrust  him  from  his  throne;  if  he  al- 
lowed Marianna  to  cure  the  Prince,  the  Prince 
would  certainly  demand  the  kingdom  on  his 
twenty-first  birthday.  What  was  he  to  do 
with  Marianna,  whose  right  to  the  throne  was 
superior  even  to  his  nephew's  ?  Perplexed,  and 
with  fear  in  his  heart,  the  King  sought  the 

98 


MARIANNA 

cruel  magician  who  had  cast  the  spell  on  Desire. 

The  magician  lived  in  a  gloomy  tower,  and 
had  an  enchanted  black  dog  that  he  fed  with 
flaming  coals.  He  listened  to  Garabin's  story, 
stirring  a  great  cauldron  all  the  while,  and 
said,  'Do  not  fear.  We  will  destroy  both 
claimants  to  the  throne  at  once." 

Garabin  rubbed  his  hands  together  with  glee. 

"  To-night  I  shall  cast  a  spell  of  sleep  on  Mari- 
anna,  steal  the  crystal  flask,  empty  it  of  the 
water  of  healing,  and  refill  it  with  a  liquid  which 
will  cause  death  within  a  night  and  a  day.  I 
shall  then  replace  the  flask  before  Marianna 
wakes.  You  will  allow  Marianna  to  visit  the 
Prince;  she  will  touch  him  with  the  deadly 
water,  and  the  Prince  will  die.  You  can  then 
try  Marianna  for  having  killed  the  Prince,  and 
condemn  her  to  be  thrown  from  the  precipice ." 

So  pleased  was  Garabin  with  this  horrid  plot, 
that  he  could  have  danced  for  joy.  That  very 
night,  the  magician  filled  Marianna's  flask  with 
the  poisonous  water,  and  departed,  thinking 

99 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

that  nobody  had  noticed  him.  The  yellow 
bird,  however,  had  seen  everything,  and  fol- 
lowed the  magician  to  note  where  he  hid  the 
real  water  of  healing. 

The  next  morning  Marianna  was  once  more 
led  before  the  King. 

4  Welcome,  thrice  welcome,  lovely  maiden/* 
said  Garabin  with  the  most  dreadful  hypoc- 
risy. I  have  long  hoped  that  you  would  turn 
your  footsteps  hither,  for  my  poor  dear  nephew, 
Prince  Desire,  only  son  of  the  late  King,  has 
been  ill  for  some  months  of  a  malady  no  phy- 
sician can  cure.  Perhaps  you  can  cure  him 
with  the  water  of  healing." 

Marianna  replied  that  she  would  do  her  best 
to  help  the  Prince;  so  the  Court  Chamberlain 
gave  her  his  arm,  and  escorted  her  to  the 
Prince's  sick  room.  The  King  and  many  court- 
iers followed  after  him. 

Desire  lay  in  a  great  old-fashioned  bed,  his 
face  flushed  with  fever.  So  weak  was  the  poor 
Prince,  that  he  could  scarcely  lift  his  head  to 

100 


MARIANNA 

look  at  his  visitors.  A  great  pity  swept  over 
Marianna's  heart  the  instant  she  saw  him; 
as  for  Desire,  he  fell  madly  in  love  with  Mari- 
anna  at  first  sight. 

Now  just  as  Marianna  bent  over  the  Prince 
to  touch  his  forehead  with  the  water  of  healing, 
the  yellow  bird  screamed  and  cried  as  madly 
as  if  he  were  caught  in  a  net.  Marianna  looked 
at  the  crystal  flask.  Nothing  seemed  changed; 
the  water  within  seemed  as  pure  and  diamond- 
like as  ever.  She  touched  the  Prince  with  the 
liquid.  Alas,  in  a  moment,  so  terrible  was  the 
magician's  poison  that  the  Prince  turned  white 
as  the  driven  snow,  and  fell  back  on  the  pil- 
lows insensible.  The  lookers-on,  who  had  ex- 
pected to  see  him  spring  up  entirely  cured, 
began  to  murmur,  and  Marianna  herself,  ter- 
rified at  what  had  happened,  let  fall  the  flask, 
which  broke  into  a  thousand  sparkling  pieces. 

Suddenly,  Garabin  cried  at  the  top  of  his 
voice,  "  Seize  the  witch;  she  has  killed  the 
Prince!" 

101 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

Presently  there  was  a  great  confusion,  rough 
hands  seized  Marianna,  and  somebody  caught 
the  yellow  bird.  The  Prince  remained  insensi- 
ble on  the  bed.  At  high  noon,  a  trial  was  held, 
and  since  the  doctors  declared  that  the  Prince 
was  dying,  Marianna  was  condemned  to  be 
thrown  from  the  precipice.  When  somebody 
asked  about  the  yellow  bird,  Garabin  laughed, 
and  gave  orders  that  the  cook  should  wring  its 
neck,  and  toss  it  to  the  cat. 

So  Marianna  was  hurried  to  a  dark  prison- 
room  and  loaded  with  chains,  and  the  yellow 
bird  was  taken  to  the  castle  kitchen,  and  given 
to  the  cook. 

"Here,  you  wring  its  neck,"  said  the  cook  to 
one  of  her  helpers,    while  I  go  call  the  cat." 

By  great  good  fortune,  the  cook's  helper  was 
no  other  than  the  peasant  girl  whom  Mari- 
anna had  saved.  This  girl  recognized  the  yel- 
low bird,  and  instead  of  wringing  its  neck,  let 
it  fly  out  of  the  window.  The  yellow  bird  flew 
to  the  window  of  the  magician's  room.    The 

102 


MARIANNA 

magician  was  in  the  chamber,  stirring  the 
giant  cauldron.  The  bird  flew  to  the  window 
of  Prince  Desire's  room,  and  saw  that  he  was 
still  insensible. 

An  hour  later  the  castle-bell  began  to  toll, 
and  a  dismal  procession  was  seen  walking  from 
the  castle  toward  the  frightful  cliff  from  which 
condemned  witches  and  sorcerers  were  thrown. 
First  came  a  troop  of  soldiers,  then  Marianna, 
weighted  down  with  chains,  and  last  of  all,  a 
little  group  in  which  were  Garabin,  the  magi- 
cian, and  some  of  Garabin's  favorites. 

The  bell  kept  on  sadly  tolling  and  tolling.  It 
roused  the  Prince  from  his  swoon,  and  with  his 
last  measure  of  strength,  poor  Desire  dragged 
himself  to  the  window.  The  procession  was 
then  passing  directly  underneath  the  window, 
and  Desire's  eyes  met  the  eyes  of  Marianna. 
Stop!    Stop!"  cried  the  poor  Prince,  wildly; 

I  forbid—" 

An  instant  later  he  sank  fainting  to  the  floor. 
The  procession  went  on. 

103 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

Meanwhile  the  yellow  bird  had  returned  to 
the  magician's  chamber.  It  was  empty.  With 
a  joyous  cry,  the  bird  fluttered  through  the 
window -bars,  and  discovered  the  phial  into 
which  the  magician  had  poured  the  water  of 
healing.  Clutching  it  in  his  claws,  the  bird 
flew  once  more  to  the  Prince's  room.  Desire 
still  lay  in  a  heap  by  the  window,  and  over 
him  the  yellow  bird  poured  the  contents  of 
the  phial. 

The  Prince  sprang  up,  strong  as  a  lion,  seized 
his  sword,  and  rushed  down  to  save  Marianna. 
He  arrived  at  the  cliff  just  as  the  poor  maiden 
was  about  to  be  pushed  off  into  space,  and 
standing  by  her  side,  dared  any  one  to  lay 
hands  upon  her. 

Garabin,  seeing  his  precious  plot  miscarry, 
grew  mad  with  rage. 

"  Seize  them,"  cried  he,  and  toss  them  both 
over  the  precipice!" 

So  the  soldiers  rushed  at  Marianna  and  the 
Prince,  intending  to  carry  out  their  wicked 

104 


MARIANNA 

master's  orders.  But  even  as  they  did  so,  there 
came  a  flash  of  flame  and  the  little  dwarf, 
Marianna's  foster-father,  took  his  place  beside 
the  lovers. 

'Cruel  King!"  cried  the  dwarf  sternly,  and 
thou,  wicked  and  perfidious  magician,  the  hour 
of  thy  punishment  is  at  hand." 

Immediately  the  sky  grew  black,  the  light- 
ning crashed,  and  there  arose  a  terrible,  howl- 
ing wind.  Three  giant  gusts  drove  fiercely  by, 
the  first  one  blowing  the  King  and  the  magi- 
cian head-over-heels  over  the  precipice,  the 
second  carrying  away  the  soldiers,  and  the 
third  the  rascally  favorites.  When  the  sky 
cleared,  only  the  dwarf,  Marianna,  and  Desire 
were  left  of  the  company. 

Marianna,"  said  the  little  dwarf,  the  Em- 
peror of  the  Elves  has  told  me  all  your  his- 
tory, and  it  is  thanks  to  him  that  I  have 
returned  in  time,  with  the  storm  at  my  heels. 
You,  Marianna,  are  the  rightful  Queen  of  this 
country." 

105 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

Dear  Queen,"  said  the  honest  and  gallant 
Desire,  'let  me  be  the  first  of  your  subjects  to 
salute  you."  And  he  knelt  before  her,  and 
humbly  kissed  her  hand. 

"Nay,  Prince,"  said  the  young  Queen,  an- 
swering the  adoring  look  in  her  lover's  eyes, 

your  father  took  the  kingdom;  if  I  were  you, 
I  should  take  the  Queen." 

Which  was  a  bit  forward,  of  course,  but  no- 
body minded  that  very  much  in  those  fairy 
times. 

So  Desire  and  Marianna  were  married,  and 
lived  happily  ever  after.  The  yellow  bird  went 
to  the  wedding,  and  when  the  ceremony  was 
over  rose  singing  into  the  air,  and  flew  joyously 
home  to  the  land  of  the  Elves. 


THE  LOST  HALF-HOUR 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  an  old  widow 
woman  who  had  three  sons:  the  first  two  were 
clever  enough,  but  the  third,  Bobo  by  name, 
was  little  better  than  a  silly  simpleton.  All 
his  mother's  scoldings  and  beatings— and  she 
smacked  the  poor  lad  soundly  a  dozen  times 
a  day  — did  him  no  good  whatever. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  one  morning 
Princess  Zenza,  the  ruler  of  the  land,  happened 
to  pass  by  the  cottage  and  heard  Bobo  being 
given  a  terrible  tongue-lashing.  Curious  as  to 
the  cause  of  all  the  noise,  the  Princess  drew 
rein,  and  summoned  Bobo's  mother  to  come 
near.  On  hearing  her  story,  it  occurred  to  the 
Princess  that  so  silly  a  lad  might  amuse  her; 
so  she  gave  the  mother  a  golden  florin,  and 
took  poor  silly  Bobo  with  her  to  be  her  page. 

You  may  be  sure  that  it  did  not  take  the  wise 
folk  at  the  castle  long  to  discover  how  great  a 
simpleton  had  arrived.  Courtiers,  footmen, 
lackeys,  turnspits  even,  were  forever  sending 

107 


Just  as  the  dragon's  mouth  was  at  its  widest  .   . 


THE   LOST  HALF-HOUR 

him  off  on  ridiculous  errands.  Now  he  would 
be  sent  to  find  a  white  crow's  feather  or  a  spray 
of  yellow  bluebells;  now  he  was  ordered  to  look 
for  a  square  wheel  or  a  glass  of  dry  water. 
Everybody  laughed  at  him  and  made  fun  of 
him  —  that  is,  everybody  except  little  Tilda, 
the  kitchen-maid.  When  poor  Bobo  used  to 
return  from  some  wild-goose  chase,  tired  out, 
mud-stained,  and  often  enough  wet  to  the 
skin,  instead  of  laughing,  little  Tilda  would 
find  him  a  glass  of  warm  milk,  hang  his  coat 
by  the  fire  to  dry,  and  tell  him  not  to  be  such 
a  simpleton  again.  Thus,  after  a  while,  Bobo 
learned  to  ask  Tilda's  advice  before  going 
away  on  a  wild-goose  chase,  and  was  in  this 
way  saved  from  many  a  jest. 

Tilda,  the  kitchen-maid,  was  as  sweet  and 
pretty  as  she  was  kind  and  good.  She  was 
said  to  be  the  daughter  of  an  old  crone  who 
had  come  to  the  castle  one  day,  asking  for 
help. 

One  pleasant  mid-summer  morning,   when 

109 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

Bobo  had  been  nearly  a  year  at  the  castle, 
Princess  Zenza  overslept  half  an  hour  and  did  I 
not  come  down  to  breakfast  at  the  usual  time. 
When  she  did  get  up,  she  found  her  court  wait- 
ing for  her  in  the  castle  gardens.  As  she  came 
down  the  steps  of  the  garden  terrace,  the  Prin- 
cess looked  up  at  the  castle  clock  to  see  how 
late  she  was,  and  said  to  her  lady  in  waiting, — 

"Dear  me — why,  I  We  lost  half  an  hour  this 
morning  !" 

At  these  words,  Bobo,  who  was  in  attendance, 
pricked  up  his  ears  and  said, — 

Please,  Your  Highness,  perhaps  I  can  find 
it." 

At  this  idea  of  finding  a  lost  half-hour,  the 
Princess  laughed,  and  found  herself  echoed  by 
the  company. 

"  Shall  we  send  Bobo  in  search  of  the  lost  half- 
hour?"  said  the  Princess  to  the  courtiers. 

Yes !   Yes  P '  cried  the  courtiers.    '  Bobo  shall 
look  for  the  lost  half-hour." 

I'll  give  him  a  horse,"  said  one.       I'll  give 

no 


THE   LOST  HALF-HOUR 

him  my  old  hat/'  said  another.  He  can  have 
an  old  sword  I  broke  last  week/'  said  still 
another. 

And  so,  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  about 
it,  poor  simpleton  Bobo  was  made  ready  for 
his  journey. 

Before  he  left  the  castle,  Bobo  went  down  to 
the  kitchen  to  say  good-bye  to  Tilda. 

'What,  off  again?"  said  the  little  kitchen- 
maid.      Where  are  you  going  now?" 

"The  Princess  has  lost  a  half-hour  and  I  am 
going  in  search  of  it,"  said  Bobo,  proudly. 
And  he  told  how  the  Princess  herself  had  com- 
manded him  to  seek  the  half-hour  through  the 
world,  and  promised  to  bring  Tilda  a  splendid 
present  when  he  returned. 

The  good  kitchen-maid  said  little,  for  she 
feared  lest  some  misadventure  overtake  the 
poor  simpleton;  but  when  the  chief  cook  was 
not  looking,  she  tucked  a  fresh  currant-bun 
into  Bobo's  pocket,  and  wished  him  the  best 
of  good  fortune. 

in 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

So  Bobo  went  to  the  castle  gate,  and  mounted 
his  horse,  which  stumbled  and  was  blind  in 
one  eye. 

" Good-bye,  Bobo/'  cried  the  assembled  court- 
iers, who  were  almost  beside  themselves  with 
laughter    at  the  simpleton  and  his  errand. 

Don't  fail  to  bring  back  the  lost  half-hour!" 

So  Bobo  rode  over  the  hills  and  far  away. 
Every  now  and  then  he  would  stop  a  passer-by 
and  ask  him  if  he  had  seen  a  lost  half-hour. 

The  first  person  whom  he  thus  questioned 
was  an  old  man  who  was  wandering  down  the 
high  road  that  leads  from  the  Kingdom  of  the 
East  to  the  Kingdom  of  the  West. 

"  A  lost  half-hour?"  said  the  old  man.  I  've 
lost  something  much  more  serious,  I  've  lost 
my  reputation.  You  have  n't  seen  a  lost  repu- 
tation lying  about  here,  have  you?  It  was 
very  dignified  and  wore  tortoise-shell  glasses." 

But  Bobo  had  to  answer  No,"  and  the  old 
man  wandered  on  again. 

Another  day  the  simpleton  encountered  a  tall, 

112 


THE   LOST   HALF-HOUR 

dark,  fierce  kind  of  fellow,  who  answered  his 
polite  question  with  a  scream  of  rage. 

"A  half-hour/'  he  roared.  "No,  I  have  n't 
seen  your  half-hour;  I  would  n't  tell  you  if  I 
had;  what's  more,  I  don't  want  to  see  it.  I  'm 
looking  for  something  I  've  lost  myself.  I  've 
lost  my  temper.  I  lost  it  two  years  ago  at 
home,  and  have  n't  been  able  to  find  it  any- 
where since.  Answer  me,  you  silly,  have  you 
seen  a  lost  temper  anywhere?  It  's  about  the 
size  of  a  large  melon  and  has  sharp  little 
points." 

On  Bobo's  answering  No, "this  dreadful  per- 
son uttered  so  perfectly  awful  a  screech  of  rage, 
that  Bobo's  horse  took  fright  and  ran  away 
with  him,  and  it  was  all  that  Bobo  could  do 
to  rein  him  in  three  miles  farther  down  the 
road. 

Still  farther  along,  Bobo  came  to  Zizz,  the 

capital   city  of  the   Kingdon   of   the    Seven 

Brooks,  and  was  taken  before  the  King  himself. 

'A  lost  half-hour?"  said  the  King.     "No,  I 

113 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

am  quite  sure  it  has  not  been  seen  in  my  do- 
minions. Would  you  mind  asking,  as  you  go 
through  the  world,  for  news  of  my  little  daugh- 
ter?" (Here  the  poor  old  King  took  out  a 
great  green  handkerchief  and  wiped  his  eyes.) 

She  was  stolen  by  the  fairies  on  midsummer 
eve  fifteen  years  ago.  Find  her,  worthy  Bobo, 
and  an  immense  reward  will  be  yours." 

So  Bobo  left  the  proud  city  of  Zizz,  and  once 
again  rode  over  the  hills  and  far  away.  But 
never  a  sign  of  the  lost  half-hour  did  he  find, 
although  he  asked  thousands  of  people.  His 
faithful  white  horse  died,  and  he  continued  his 
way  on  foot. 

Three  long  years  passed,  and  Bobo  grew  into 
a  handsome  lad,  but  remained  a  simpleton 
still.  Finally,  after  he  had  wandered  all  about 
Fairyland,  he  came  to  the  edge  of  the  sea. 
Finding  a  ship  moored  in  a  little  harbor, 
Bobo  asked  the  sailors  if  they  had  seen  a  lost 
half-hour. 

"No,"  said  the  sailors,    but  we  are  going  to 

114 


THE   LOST  HALF-HOUR 

the  Isles  of  Iron;  suppose  you  go  with  us.  The 
lost  half-hour  may  be  there.7' 

So  Bobo  went  aboard  the  ship,  and  sailed  out 
upon  the  dark  sea. 

For  two  days  the  weather  was  warm  and 
clear,  but  on  the  third  day,  there  came  a  dread- 
ful storm,  and  on  the  third  night  the  vessel 
was  driven  far  off  her  course  into  the  unknown 
ocean,  and  was  wrecked  upon  a  mysterious 
island  of  rocks  that  shone  in  the  night  like  wet 
matches.  A  great  wave  swept  the  decks,  and 
Bobo  was  borne  away  from  his  companions 
and  carried  toward  the  shining  land.  Though 
pounded  and  battered  by  the  foaming  waves, 
the  simpleton  at  length  managed  to  reach  the 
beach,  and  took  refuge  in  a  crevice  of  the  cliff 
during  the  stormy  night. 

When  the  dawn  broke,  all  sign  of  the  ship  had 
disappeared.  Looking  about,  Bobo  found  him- 
self on  a  lovely  island  whose  heart  was  a  high 
mountain  mass  hidden  in  the  fog  still  sweep- 
ing in  from  the  sea.    There  was  not  a  house, 

115 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

a  road,  or  a  path  to  be  seen.  Suddenly  Bobo 
noticed  a  strange  little  door  in  the  bark  of  a 
great  lonely  tree,  and,  opening  this  door,  he 
discovered  a  little  cupboard  in  which  were  a 
pair  of  wooden  shoes.  Above  the  shoes  was 
a  card,  saying  simply, — 

Put  us  on. 

So  Bobo  sat  down  on  a  stone  by  the  foot  of 
the  tree,  and  put  on  the  wooden  shoes,  which 
fitted  him  very  nicely.  Now  these  shoes  were 
magic  shoes,  and  Bobo  had  hardly  stepped 
into  them  before  they  turned  his  feet  inland. 
So  Bobo  obediently  let  the  shoes  guide  him. 
At  corners  the  shoes  always  turned  in  the  right 
direction,  and  if  Bobo  forgot  and  blundered 
on  the  wrong  way,  the  shoes  swiftly  began  to 
pinch  his  toes. 

For  two  days  Bobo  walked  inland  toward  the 
great  mountain.  A  warm  wind  blew  the  clouds 
and  rain  away,  the  sun  shone  sweet  and  clear. 
On  the  morning  of  the  third  day,  the  simpleton 

116 


THE  LOST  HALF-HOUR 

entered  a  wood  of  tall  silent  trees,  and  as  that 
day  was  drawing  to  a  close,  turrets  of  a  mag- 
nificent castle  rose  far  away  over  the  leaves  of 
the  forest. 

Bobo  arrived  at  twilight. 

He  found  himself  in  a  beautiful  garden,  lying 
between  the  castle  walls  and  the  rising  slopes 
of  a  great  mountain.  Strange  to  say,  not  a 
living  creature  was  to  be  seen,  and  though 
there  were  lights  in  the  castle,  there  was  not 
even  a  warder  at  the  gate.  Suddenly  a  great 
booming  bell  struck  seven  o'clock;  Bobo  began 
to  hear  voices  and  sounds;  and  then,  before  the 
humming  of  the  bell  had  died  away,  a  youth 
mounted  on  a  splendid  black  horse  dashed  at 
lightning  speed  out  of  the  castle  and  disap- 
peared in  the  wood.  An  old  man  with  a  white 
beard,  accompanied  by  eleven  young  men, — 
whom  Bobo  judged,  from  their  expressions,  to 
be  brothers, — stood  by  the  gate  to  see  the 
horseman  ride  away. 

Plucking  up  courage,  Bobo  came  forward, 

117 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

fell  on  his  knee  before  the  old  man,  and  told 
his  story. 

Truly,  you  should  thank  the  storm  fairies/ ' 
said  the  old  man;  for  had  you  not  been 
wrecked  upon  this  island,  never  would  you 
have  discovered  the  lost  half-hour.  I  am 
Father  Time  himself,  and  these  are  my  twelve 
sons,  the  Hours.  Every  day,  one  after  the 
other,  they  ride  for  an  hour  round  the  whole 
wide  world.  Seven  O'clock  has  just  ridden 
forth.  Yes,  you  shall  have  the  lost  half-hour, 
but  you  must  look  after  my  sons'  horses  for 
the  space  of  a  whole  year." 
To  this  Bobo  willingly  agreed.  So  Twelve 
O'Clock,  who  was  the  youngest  of  the  Hours, 
took  him  to  the  stables  and  showed  him  the 
little  room  in  the  turret  that  he  was  to  have. 
And  thus  for  a  year  Bobo  served  Father  Time 
and  his  sons.  He  took  such  good  care  of  the 
great  black  horses  of  the  Hours  of  the  Night, 
and  the  white  horses  of  the  Hours  of  the  Day, 
that  they  were  never  more  proud  and  strong, 

118 


THE  LOST  HALF-HOUR 

nor  their  coats  smoother  and  more  gleaming. 

When  the  year  was  up,  Bobo  again  sought 
out  Father  Time. 

"  You  have  served  faithfully  and  well/7  said 
Father  Time.  'Here  is  your  reward."  And, 
with  these  words,  he  placed  in  Bobo's  hands 
a  small  square  casket  made  of  ebony.  The 
half-hour  lies  inside.  Don't  try  to  peek  at  it 
or  open  the  box  until  the  right  time  has  come. 
If  you  do,  the  half-hour  will  fly  away  and  dis- 
appear forever." 

" Farewell,  Bobo,"  said  kind  young  Twelve 
O'Clock,  who  had  been  the  simpleton's  good 
friend.  '  I,  too,  have  a  gift  for  thee.  Drink 
this  cup  of  water  to  the  last  drop."  And  the 
youth  handed  the  simpleton  a  silver  cup  full 
to  the  brim  of  clear  shining  water. 

Now  this  water  was  the  water  of  wisdom,  and 
when  Bobo  had  drunk  it,  he  was  no  longer  a 
simpleton.  And  being  no  longer  a  simpleton, 
he  remembered  the  man  who  had  lost  his  repu- 
tation, the  man  who  had  lost  his  temper,  and 

119 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

the  king  whose  daughter  had  been  stolen  by 
the  fairies.  So  Bobo  made  so  bold  as  to  ask 
Father  Time  about  them,  for  Father  Time 
knows  everything  that  has  happened  in  the 
whole  wide  world. 

"Tell  the  first/7  said  Father  Time,  "that  his 
reputation  has  been  broken  into  a  thousand 
pieces  which  have  been  picked  up  by  his  neigh- 
bors and  carried  home.  If  he  can  persuade  his 
neighbors  to  give  them  up,  he  should  be  able 
to  piece  together  a  pretty  good  reputation 
again.  As  for  the  man  who  lost  his  temper, 
tell  him  that  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  grass  by 
the  roadside  close  by  the  spot  where  you  first 
met  him.  As  for  the  missing  daughter,  she  is 
the  kitchen-maid  in  Princess  Zenza's  palace, 
who  is  known  as  Tilda.'7 

So  Bobo  thanked  Father  Time,  and  at  noon, 
Twelve  0' Clock  placed  him  behind  him  on  the 
white  charger,  and  hurried  away.  So  fast  they 
flew  that  Bobo,  who  was  holding  the  ebony 
casket  close  against  his  heart,  was  in  great 

120 


THE   LOST  HALF-HOUR 

danger  of  falling  off.  When  they  got  to  the 
seashore,  the  white  horse  hesitated  not  an 
instant,  but  set  foot  upon  the  water,  which 
bore  him  up  as  if  it  had  been,  not  water,  but 
earth  itself.  Once  arrived  at  the  shore  of  Fairy- 
land, Twelve  0' Clock  stopped,  wished  Bobo 
good-speed,  and,  rising  in  the  air,  disappeared 
into  the  glare  of  the  sun.  Bobo,  with  the 
precious  ebony  casket  in  his  hand,  continued 
on  in  the  direction  of  Princess  Zenza's  palace. 
On  the  second  morning  of  his  journey,  he 
happened  to  see  far  ahead  of  him  on  the  high- 
way the  unfortunate  aged  man  who  had  lost 
his  reputation.  To  him,  therefore,  Bobo  re- 
peated the  counsel  of  Father  Time,  and  sent 
him  hurrying  home  to  his  neighbors7  houses. 
Of  the  man  who  had  lost  his  temper,  Bobo 
found  no  sign.  In  the  grass  by  the  roadside, 
however,  he  did  find  the  lost  temper — a  queer 
sort  of  affair  like  a  melon  of  fiery  red  glass  all 
stuck  over  with  uneven  spines  and  brittle 
thorns.     Bobo,  with  great  goodness  of  heart, 

121 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

took  along  this  extraordinary  object,  in  the 
hope  of  finding  its  angry  possessor. 

Farther  on,  the  lad  encountered  Tilda's  father, 
the  unhappy  King,  and  delivered  his  message. 
The  joy  of  the  monarch  knew  no  bounds,  and 
Bobo,  the  one-time  simpleton,  became  on  the 
spot  Lord  Bobo  of  the  Sapphire  Hills,  Marquis 
of  the  Mountains  of  the  Moon,  Prince  of  the 
Valley  of  Golden  Apples,  and  Lord  Seneschal 
of  the  proud  City  of  Zizz — in  a  word,  the 
greatest  nobleman  in  all  Fairyland.  Then, 
having  got  together  a  magnificent  cohort  of 
dukes,  earls,  and  counts,  all  in  splendid  silks, 
and  soldiers  in  shining  armor,  the  delighted 
King  rode  off  to  claim  his  missing  daughter 
from  Princess  Zenza. 

So  on  they  rode,  the  harnesses  jingling,  the 
bridle-bells  ringing,  and  the  breastplates  of 
the  armed  men  shining  in  the  sun.  After  a 
week  of  almost  constant  progress  (for  the  King 
was  so  anxious  to  see  his  beloved  daughter 
that  he  would  hardly  give  the  cavalcade  time 

122 


THE  LOST  HALF-HOUR 

to  rest) ,  they  came  to  the  frontiers  of  Princess 
Zenza's  kingdom. 

Strange  to  say,  black  mourning  banners  hung 
from  the  trees,  and  every  door  in  the  first  vil- 
lage which  the  travelers  saw  was  likewise  hung 
with  black  streamers.  On  the  steps  of  one  of 
the  cottages  sat  an  old  woman,  all  alone  and 
weeping  with  all  her  might. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  my  good  woman?"  said 
the  King. 

"0  sir,"  said  the  peasant  woman,  evil  days 
have  fallen  upon  our  unhappy  kingdom. 
Three  days  ago  a  terrible  dragon  alighted  in 
the  gardens  of  the  palace  and  sent  word  to 
Princess  Zenza  that  if  within  three  days  she  did 
not  provide  him  with  someone  brave  enough  to 
go  home  with  him  and  cook  his  meals  and  keep 
his  cavern  tidy,  he  would  burn  our  fields  with 
his  fiery  breath.  Yet  who,  I  ask  you,  would  be 
housekeeper  for  a  dragon?  Suppose  he  did  n't 
like  the  puddings  you  made  for  him — why, 
he  might  eat  you  up !  All  would  have  been  lost 

123 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

had  not  a  brave  little  kitchen-maid  named 
Tilda  volunteered  to  go.  It  is  for  her  that  we 
are  mourning.  At  two  o'clock  she  is  to  be 
Carried  off  by  the  dragon.  It  is  almost  two 
now.    Alas!    Alas!" 

Hardly  were  the  words  out  of  her  mouth, 
when  the  town  bell  struck  twice,  solemnly  and 
sadly. 

1  Quick!  quick!"  cried  the  King  and  Bobo  in 
the  same  breath,  '  Let  us  hurry  to  the  castle. 
We  may  save  her  yet." 

But  they  knew  in  their  hearts  that  they  were 
too  late,  and  that  poor  Tilda  had  given  herself 
to  the  dragon.  And  so  it  proved.  In  spite  of 
his  mad  dash,  Bobo,  who  had  spurred  on  ahead, 
arrived  exactly  half  an  hour  late.  The  mon- 
strous dragon  with  Tilda  in  his  claws  was  just 
a  little  smoky  speck  far  down  the  southern  sky. 
Princess  Zenza  and  her  court  stood  by  wringing 
their  jeweled  hands. 

Suddenly  Bobo  thought  of  the  half-hour.  He 
had  arrived  half  an  hour  late,  but  he  could  have 

124 


THE  LOST  HALF-HOUR 

that  half-hour  back  again!  Things  should  be 
exactly  as  they  were  half  an  hour  before. 

He  opened  the  cover  of  the  ebony  box.  Some- 
thing like  a  winged  white  flame  escaped  from 
it,  and  flew  hissing  through  the  air  to  the  sun. 
As  for  the  sun  itself,  turning  round  like  a  cart- 
wheel and  hissing  like  ten  thousand  rockets,  it 
rolled  back  along  the  sky  to  the  east.  The 
hands  of  the  clocks,  which  marked  half-past 
two,  whirred  back  to  two  o'clock  in  a  twinkling. 
And,  sure  enough,  there  was  brave  little  Tilda 
standing  alone  in  a  great  field  waiting  for  the 
dragon  to  come  and  take  her  away.  Lumber- 
ing heavily  along  like  a  monstrous  turtle,  and 
snorting  blue  smoke,  the  dragon  was  advanc- 
ing toward  her. 

Bobo  ran  down  into  the  field  and  stood  beside 
Tilda,  ready  to  defend  her  to  the  end. 

The  dragon  came  nearer  and  nearer.  Sud- 
denly, angered  by  the  sight  of  Bobo  and  his 
drawn  sword,  he  roared  angrily,  but  contin- 
ued to  approach.    Bobo  struck  at  him  with 

125 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

his  sword.  The  blade  broke  upon  his  steely 
scales.  The  dragon  roared  again.  Now  just 
as  the  dragon's  mouth  was  its  widest,  Bobo 
who  had  been  searching  his  pockets  desper- 
ately, hurled  into  it  the  lost  temper. 

There  was  a  perfectly  terrific  bang!  as  if  a 
million  balloons  had  blown  up  all  at  once. 
For  the  dragon  had  blown  up.  The  lost  tem- 
per had  finished  him.  Only  one  fragment  of 
him,  a  tiny  bit  of  a  claw,  was  ever  found. 
Everybody,  you  may  be  sure,  began  to  cry 
Hurrah  "  and  Hooray,"  and  soon  they  were 
firing  off  cannon  and  ringing  all  the  bells .  Then 
Tilda's  father  took  her  in  his  arms,  and  told 
her  that  she  was  a  real  princess.  The  Grand 
Cross  of  the  Order  of  the  Black  Cat  was  con- 
ferred upon  Bobo  by  Princess  Zenza,  who  also 
asked  his  pardon  for  having  treated  him  so 
shabbily.  This  Bobo  gave  readily.  A  won- 
derful fete  was  held.  When  the  rejoicings  were 
over,  Bobo  and  Tilda  were  married,  and  lived 
happily  together  all  their  days. 


THE  ENCHANTED  ELM 


Once  upon  a  time,  while  riding,  a  brave,  young 
prince  dashed  merrily  ahead  of  his  friends,  and 
after  galloping  across  a  ploughed  field,  turned 
his  horse's  head  down  a  grassy  road  leading  to 
a  wood.  For  some  time  he  cantered  easily  along, 
expecting  any  moment  to  hear  the  shouts  and 
halloos  of  his  friends  following  after;  but  they 

127 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

by  mistake  took  quite  another  road,  and  no 
sound  except  the  pounding  of  his  courser's 
hoofs  reached  the  Prince's  ear.  Suddenly  an 
ugly  snarl  and  a  short  bark  broke  the  stillness 
of  the  pleasant  forest,  and  looking  down,  the 
Prince  saw  a  gray  wolf  snapping  at  his  horse's 
heels, 

Though  the  horse,  wild  with  fear,  threatened 
to  run  away  any  instant,  the  Prince  leaned  over 
and  struck  the  wolf  with  his  whip. 

Hardly  had  he  done  so,  when  an  angry  voice 
cried,     How  dare  you  strike  my  pet?" 

A  little  distance  ahead,  a  wicked  old  witch 
stood  at  one  side  of  the  road.  With  its  tail 
between  its  legs,  the  wolf  cowered  close  to  her 
skirts,  and  showed  its  long  yellow  fangs, 

"Pet,  indeed!"  cried  the  Prince.  'Keep  him 
away  from  my  horse  or  I  will  strike  him  again. ' ' 

"At  your  peril,  Prince,"  answered  the  witch. 
And  then,  as  the  Prince  turned  his  horse's  head 
and  galloped  back,  she  called  out,  '  You  shall 
rue  this  day!   You  shall  rue  this  day!" 

128 


THE  ENCHANTED  ELM 

Now  by  the  time  the  Prince  had  arrived  at  the 
ploughed  field  and  the  great  road  again,  his 
friends  had  galloped  on  so  far  that  they  were 
lost  to  sight .  Thinking  that  he  might  overtake 
them  by  following  a  shorter  road,  he  turned 
down  a  byway  skirting  the  wood  in  which  he 
had  encountered  the  enchantress.  Presently  he 
began  to  feel  very  thirsty.  Chancing  to  see  an 
old  peasant  woman  in  the  fields,  the  Prince 
called  to  her  and  asked  where  he  could  find  a 
roadside  spring. 

Now  this  old  peasant  woman  was  the  wicked 
witch  under  another  form.  Overjoyed  at  hav- 
ing the  Prince  fall  so  easily  into  her  power,  she 
curtsied,  and  replied  that  within  the  wood  was 
to  be  found  the  finest  spring  in  the  country. 
Anxious  not  to  lose  time,  the  Prince  begged  her 
to  lead  him  to  the  water.  Little  did  he  know 
that  the  witch  was  leading  him  back  into  the 
wood,  and  that  she  had  just  bewitched  the 
water ! 

When  they  arrived  at  the  pool,  the  Prince 

129 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

dismounted,  and  kneeling  by  the  brim,  made  a 
cup  of  his  hands  and  drank  till  his  thirst  was 
satisfied.  He  was  just  about  to  seize  his  horse 
again  by  the  bridle  and  put  his  foot  into  the 
stirrup,  when  a  terrible  pang  shot  through  his 
body,  darkness  swam  before  his  eyes,  his  arms 
lengthened  and  became  branches,  his  fingers, 
twigs;  his  feet  shot  into  the  ground,  and  he 
found  himself  turned  into  a  giant  elm. 

A  giant  elm  he  was;  a  giant  elm  he  remained. 
Unable  to  find  him  after  a  long  search,  his 
friends  gave  him  up  for  lost,  and  a  new  Prince 
ruled  over  the  land.  Though  the  elm  tried 
many  times  to  tell  passers-by  of  his  plight,  none 
ever  seemed  to  understand  his  words.  Again 
and  again,  when  simple  wood-cutters  ventured 
into  the  great  dark  wood,  he  would  tell  them 
his  story  and  cry  out,  "I  am  the  Prince!  I  am 
the  Prince !"  But  the  wood-cutters  heard  only 
the  wind  stirring  in  the  branches.  Ah,  how 
cold  it  was  in  winter  when  the  skies  were  steely 
black  and  the  giant  stars  sparkled  icily!    And 

130 


THE  ENCHANTED  ELM 

how  pleasant  it  was  when  spring  returned,  and 
the  gossipy  birds  came  back  again! 

The  first  year  a  pair  of  wood-pigeons  took  to 
housekeeping  in  his  topmost  branches.  The 
Prince  was  glad  to  welcome  them,  for  though 
denied  human  speech,  he  understood  the  lan- 
guage of  trees  and  birds.  On  Midsummer  Eve, 
the  pigeons  said  to  him,  "To-night  the  King 
of  the  Trees  comes  through  the  wood.  Do  you 
not  hear  the  stir  in  the  forest  ?  All  the  real  trees 
are  preparing  for  the  King's  coming;  they  are 
shedding  dead  leaves  and  shaking  out  their 
branches." 

"Tell  me  of  the  King/'  said  the  Prince. 

"He  is  tall  and  dark  and  strong,"  said  the 
doves.  l '  He  dwells  in  a  great  pine  in  the  North. 
On  Midsummer  Eve,  he  goes  through  the  world 
to  see  if  all  is  well  with  the  tree  people." 

"Do  you  think  he  can  help  me?"  asked  the 
Prince. 

"  You  might  ask  him,"  replied  the  doves. 

The  long,  long  twilight  of  Midsummer  Eve 

131 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

came  to  a  close;  night  folded  the  world  beneath 
its  starry  curtains.  At  twelve  o'clock,  though 
not  a  breath  of  air  was  stirring,  the  trees  were 
shaken  as  if  by  a  mighty  wind,  the  rustling  of 
the  leaves  blending  into  strange  and  lovely 
music,  and  presently  the  King  of  the  Trees 
entered  the  haunted  wood.  Even  as  the  wood- 
doves  had  said,  he  was  tall  and  dark  and 
stately. 

"Is  all  well  with  you,  0  my  people?"  said  the 
King,  in  a  voice  as  sweet  and  solemn  as  the  wind 
in  the  branches  on  a  summer's  day. 

"Yes,  all  is  well,"  answered  the  trees  softly. 
Though  some  replied,  "I  have  lost  a  branch"; 
and  a  little  tree  called  out  unhappily,  "My 
neighbors  are  shutting  out  all  my  sunlight." 

"Then  fare  ye  well,  my  people,  till  next  Mid- 
summer Eve,"  said  the  stately  King.  And  he 
was  about  to  stride  onward  through  the  dark 
wood  when  the  enchanted  Prince  called  aloud 
to  him! 

Stay,  0  King  of  the  Trees,"  cried  the  poor 

132 


u 


THE   ENCHANTED   ELM 

Prince.  "Hear  me  even  though  I  am  not  of 
your  people.  I  am  a  mortal,  a  prince,  and  a 
wicked  witch  has  turned  me  into  a  tree.  Can 
you  not  help  me?" 

"  Alas,  poor  friend,  I  can  do  nothing/'  replied 
the  King.  "  However,  do  not  despair.  In  my 
travels  through  the  world,  I  shall  surely  find 
someone  who  can  help  you.  Look  for  me  on 
next  Midsummer  Eve." 

So  the  great  elm  swayed  his  branches  sadly, 
and  the  King  went  on  his  way. 

The  winter  came  again,  silent  and  dark  and 
cold.  At  the  return  of  spring,  a  maiden  who 
dwelt  with  a  family  of  wood-cutters  came  often 
to  rest  in  the  shade  of  the  great  tree.  Her  father 
had  once  been  a  rich  merchant,  but  evil  times 
had  overtaken  him,  and  at  his  death  the  only 
relatives  who  could  be  found  to  take  care  of  the 
little  girl  were  a  family  of  rough  wood-cutters 
in  the  royal  service.  These  grudging  folk  kept 
the  poor  maiden  always  hard  at  work  and 
gave  her  the  most  difficult  household  tasks. 

133 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

The  Prince,  who  knew  the  whole  story,  pitied 
her  very  much,  and  ended  by  falling  quite  in 
love  with  her.  As  for  the  unhappy  maiden,  it 
seemed  to  her  that  beneath  the  sheltering  shade 
of  the  great  elm  she  enjoyed  a  peace  and  happi- 
ness to  be  found  nowhere  else. 

Now  it  was  the  custom  of  the  wood-men  to 
cut  down,  during  the  summer,  such  trees  as 
would  be  needed  for  the  coming  winter,  and  one 
day  the  wood-cutter  in  whose  family  the  maiden 
dwelt  announced  his  intention  of  cutting  down 
the  great  elm. 

"Not  the  great  elm  which  towers  above  all 
the  forest?"  cried  the  maiden. 

"Yes,  that  very  tree,"  answered  the  wood- 
cutter gruffly.  "To-morrow  morning  we  shall 
fell  it  to  the  ground,  and  to-morrow  night  we 
shall  build  the  midsummer  fire  with  its  smaller 
branches.  What  are  you  crying  about,  you 
silly  girl?" 

"Oh,  please  don't  cut  the  great  elm! "  begged 
the  good  maiden. 

134 


THE  ENCHANTED  ELM 

" Nonsense!"  said  the  wood-cutter.  "I 
wager  you  have  been  wasting  your  time  under 
its  branches.  I  shall  certainly  cut  the  tree 
down  in  the  morning." 

All  night  long,  you  may  be  sure,  the  maiden 
pondered  on  the  best  way  to  save  the  great 
tree;  and  since  she  was  as  clever  as  she  was 
good,  she  at  length  hit  upon  a  plan.  Rising 
early  on  Midsummer  Morn,  she  ran  to  the 
forest,  climbed  the  great  elm,  and  concealed 
herself  in  its  topmost  branches.  She  saw  the 
rest  of  the  wood  beneath  her,  and  the  distant 
peaks  of  the  Adamant  Mountains;  and  she 
rejoiced  in  the  dawn  songs  of  the  birds. 

An  hour  after  the  sun  had  risen,  she  heard 
the  voices  of  the  wood-cutter  and  his  men  as 
they  came  through  the  wood.  Soon  the  band 
arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  tree.  Imagine  the  feel- 
ings of  the  poor  Prince  when  he  saw  the  sharp 
axes  at  hand  to  cut  him  down! 

"I  shall  strike  the  first  blow,"  said  the  chief 
wood-cutter,  and  he  lifted  his  axe  in  the  air. 

135 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

Suddenly  from  the  tree-top  a  warning  voice 

sang,— 

"Throw  the  axe  down,  harm  not  me. 
«  I  am  an  enchanted  tree. 

He  who  strikes  shall  breathe  his  last, 
Before  Midsummer  Eve  hath  passed." 

" There  is  a  spirit  in  the  tree/'  cried  the  wood- 
cutters, thoroughly  frightened.  "Let  us  hurry 
away  from  here  before  it  does  us  a  mischief." 
And  in  spite  of  all  the  chief  wood-cutter's  re- 
monstrances, they  ran  away  as  fast  as  their 
legs  could  carry  them. 

The  chief  wood-cutter,  however,  was  bolder- 
hearted,  and  lifted  the  axe  again.  As  the  blade 
shone  uplifted  in  the  sun,  the  maiden  sang  once 

more, — 

"  Throw  the  axe  down,  harm  not  me. 
I  am  an  enchanted  tree. 
He  who  strikes  shall  breathe  his  last 
Before  Midsummer  Eve  hath  passed." 

Hearing  the  voice  again,  the  chief  began  to 
feel  just  the  littlest  bit  alarmed;  nevertheless, 

136 


THE  ENCHANTED  ELM 

he  stood  his  ground  and  lifted  the  axe  a  third 

time.    Once  more  the  girl  sang,— 

"  Throw  the  axe  down,  harm  not  me. 
I  am  an  enchanted  tree. 
He  who  strikes  shall  breathe  his  last 
Before  Midsummer  Eve  hath  passed." 

At  the  same  moment,  the  elm  managed  to 
throw  down  a  great  branch  which  struck  the 
rogue  a  sound  thump  on  the  shoulders.  Now 
thoroughly  terrified,  the  chief  wood-cutter 
himself  fled  from  the  spot. 

All  day  long,  for  fear  lest  he  return,  the  maiden 
remained  hidden  in  the  tree.  At  twilight, 
overcome  by  weariness,  she  fell  into  a  deep  sleep. 
Just  before  midnight,  alas,  she  was  awakened 
from  her  slumber  by  hearing  an  angry  voice 
cry,— 

"Come  down  from  the  tree,  wicked,  deceitful 
girl,  or  I  shall  cut  it  down  at  once!" 

Very  much  alarmed,  the  poor  maiden  looked 
down  through  the  branches,  and  discovered  the 
wood-cutter  standing  at  the  foot  of  the  elm.    A 

137 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

lantern  swung  from  his  left  hand,  and  his  sharp- 
est axe  rested  on  his  right  shoulder.  He  had 
returned  home,  and  not  finding  the  maiden 

u. 

there,  had  suspected  that  it  was  her  voice  which 
had  frightened  his  men  away. 

Come  down, ' '  roared  the  rascal.  ' '  I'll  teach 
you,  you  minx,  to  play  tricks  with  me.  One  — 
two  —  three."  And  lifting  the  axe  in  the  air, 
he  was  about  to  send  it  crashing  into  the  trunk 
of  the  elm,  when  the  mysterious  murmur  which 
heralded  the  coming  of  the  King  of  the  Trees  j 
sounded  through  the  wood.  Perplexed  and 
frightened  again,  the  chief  wood-cutter  let  fall 
his  axe.  Presently  he  perceived  two  beings 
coming  toward  him  through  the  solemn  forest. 
Uttering  a  howl  of  fear,  the  rogue  would  have 
fled;  but,  lifting  his  wand,  the  elder  of  the  new- 
comers transfixed  him  to  the  spot.  The  two 
personages  were  the  King  of  the  Trees  and  his 
friend,  the  mighty  enchanter,  Gorbodoc. 

" Descend  and  fear  not,  maiden,"  said  the 
King  of  the  Trees.     "You  have  done  bravely 

138 


THE  ENCHANTED   ELM 

and  well.  Your  misfortunes  are  over,  and  a 
happier  day  is  at  hand." 

So  the  brave  girl  hurried  down  the  tree,  and 
stood  before  the  enchanter  and  the  King.  Very 
pretty  she  was,  too,  in  her  rustic  dress  and 
ribbons. 

Lifting  his  wand  with  great  solemnity,  Gor- 
bodoc  touched  the  trunk  of  the  elm .  There  was 
a  blinding  flash  of  rosy  fire;  the  great  tree  ap- 
peared to  shrink  and  dissolve,  and  presently 
the  Prince  stood  before  them. 

" Welcome,  Prince,"  said  the  enchanter. 
"'Your  enemy,  the  witch,  will  trouble  you  no 
more.  I  have  turned  her  into  an  owl  and  given 
her  to  the  Queen  of  Lantern  Land.  As  for 
you,"  and  here  the  enchanter  turned  fiercely 
upon  the  wood-cutter,  "y°u  shall  be  a  green 
monkey,  until  you  have  planted  and  brought 
to  full  growth  as  many  trees  as  you  have  cut 
down." 

An  instant  later,  a  green  monkey  swung  off 
into  the  tree-tops. 

139 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

Then  the  grateful  Prince  thanked  the  King  of 
the  Trees,  the  mighty  Gorbodoc,  and  the  brave 
maiden,  with  all  his  heart.  I  am  glad  to  say 
that  he  got  his  castle  back  again  and  married 
the  maiden  who  had  saved  his  life,  and  they 
lived  happily  ever  after. 


THE  BIRD -BOY 

Late  one  autumn  night  a  young  queen  stood 
by  her  window,  gazing  upon  the  silent  and  de- 
serted meadows  gleaming  in  the  moonlight. 
Suddenly,  far,  far  up  in  the  sky,  she  heard  the 
weird  cry  of  birds  flying  southward,  and  lift- 
ing her  eyes,  the  Queen  beheld  bird  after  bird 
fly  across  the  golden  shield  of  the  moon. 

"Oh,  lovely,  happy  birds,"  said  she;  "would 
that  I  might  have  a  son  with  wings!" 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  before  the  harvest 
moon  rose  again  over  the  land,  the  Queen 
became  the  mother  of  a  little  boy  who  was 
born  with  wings  on  his  shoulders.  But  instead 
of  being  pleased  with  so  strange  and  wonderful 
a  little  son,  the  King  (who  was  very  supersti- 
tious and  under  the  domination  of  a  wicked 
chamberlain  named  Malefico)  took  it  into  his 
head  that  his  wife  was  a  sorceress,  and  gave 
orders  that  she  should  be  imprisoned  in  a 
lonely  tower  and  the  child  destroyed.    So  the 

141 


Every  year,  on  the  Bird-Boy' s  birthday,  a  great 
gray  bird  was  seen. 


THE   BIRD-BOY 

Queen  and  her  baby  were  taken  to  an  old  and 
gloomy  tower  on  a  great  rock  overlooking  the 
northern  sea;  and  after  they  had  been  there  a 
day  or  two,  the  chief  jailer  came  to  the  Queen's 
room  to  take  the  child  and  kill  him. 

The  Queen,  when  she  heard  this  terrible  order, 
uttered  a  gasping  scream,  and  seizing  her  little 
son  from  out  his  cradle,  pressed  him  close  to 
her  breast.     But  although  she  fought  for  her 
baby  with  allher  might,  the  rude  strength  of  the 
jailers  prevailed,  and  the  child  was  torn  from 
its  mother's  arms.    Then,  before  any  one  could 
prevent  her,  the  poor  Queen  beat  open  the 
rotted  fastening  of  an  old  casement  window, 
sprang  upon  the  ledge,  and  giving  one  last 
look  of  love  and  tenderness  to  her  unhappy 
child,  leaped  down  into  the  sea  surging  and 
pounding  over  the  rocks  hundreds  of  feet  be- 
low.   She  certainly  would  have  been  dashed  to 
pieces,  had  not  a  good  spirit  of  the  ocean  taken 
pity  on  her,  and  changed  her  into  a  great  gray 
bird.    Crying  mournfully,  the  bird  circled  the 

143 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

old  tower  thrice,  and  disappeared  over  the 
white-capped  waters. 

In  spite  of  his  roughness,  however,  the  jailer 
was  neither  a  brutal  nor  a  wicked  man,  and  he 
did  not  relish  the  cruel  task  which  the  King 
had  given  him.  So,  instead  of  killing  the  bird- 
boy,  he  carried  him  many  leagues  back  into  the 
dark  forest  which  bordered  the  sea,  and  gave 
him  to  a  family  of  charcoal-burners.  With 
these  rough,  good  people  the  bird-boy  lived  till 
he  was  five  years  old.  And  every  year,  on  the 
boy's  birthday,  a  great  gray  bird  came  flying 
over  the  forest  from  the  distant  ocean,  circled 
thrice  the  charcoal-burners'  hut,  and  disap- 
peared again,  crying  mournfully. 

One  midsummer  day,  with  a  great  deal  of 
merry  hallooing  and  blowing  of  sweet- voiced 
horns,  the  King  of  the  country,  accompanied 
by  his  young  wife,  came  hunting  through  the 
wood.  There  was  a  pretty  spring  near  the  door 
of  the  hut,  and  the  party  came  to  a  halt  at  its 
edge.     Out  ran  the  winged  boy  and  his  two 

144 


THE   BIRD-BOY 

little  foster-brothers,  to  see  the  wonderful  sight. 
And  a  wonderful  sight  it  was,  indeed,  to  see 
the  horses  tossing  their  jeweled  bridles,  the 
hooded  falcons  riding  on  the  saddlebow,  clutch- 
ing the  leather  with  their  curving  claws,  the 
merry  young  pages  in  their  dark  suits,  and  all 
the  gay  company  in  rich  attire. 

'Why,  see/'  said  the  young  Queen  to  her  hus- 
band, yon  little  boy  hath  wings.  Really, 
dear,  I  must  have  him  for  my  page.  Would  n't 
it  be  wonderful  to  have  a  winged  page?  Besides, 
he  will  be  a  playmate  for  Rosabella. " 

So  the  King  gave  the  charcoal-burner  and  his 
wife  fifty  pieces  of  bright  gold,  which  pleased 
them  very  much,  and  the  charcoal-burner  him- 
self lifted  the  bird-boy  up  in  his  arms,  and 
placed  him  on  the  King's  saddle.  Then  the 
bird-boy  waved  good-bye  to  his  two  little 
ragged  foster-brothers,  who  were  howling  as  if 
their  hearts  would  break,  and  rode  away  with 
the  King.  In  a  few  hours  the  company  came 
to  a  splendid  castle  of  shining  white  stone, 

145 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

standing  in  beautiful  green  gardens  running 
down  to  the  sea.  Once  at  home,  the  Queen 
commanded  that  the  little  winged  boy  be 
washed  and  tidied,  and  his  charcoal-burner's 
rags  replaced  with  a  pretty  black  velvet  suit. 
You  may  be  sure  that,  when  the  bird-boy  was 
washed  and  dressed,  there  was  no  handsomer, 
more  winning  little  boy  in  all  the  world. 

So  the  bird-boy  became  the  best  beloved  play- 
mate of  the  Queen's  only  child,  her  darling 
Rosabella.  Now,  if  the  bird-boy  was  the  pret- 
tiest little  boy  in  all  the  world,  Rosabella  was 
the  prettiest  little  girl.  Moreover,  she  had  a 
sweet  disposition,  which  is  a  gift  even  more 
precious  than  the  gift  of  beauty.  It  was  a 
lovely  picture  to  see  the  children  building  toy 
castles  on  the  floor  of  the  nursery  in  the  castle 
tower,  the  sun  streaming  on  the  black-brown 
hair  and  silver  white  wings  of  the  little  boy, 
and  on  the  golden  curls  of  Rosabella. 

Twelve  years  passed.  The  bird-boy  grew  into 
a  handsome  lad;  Rosabella  into  the  loveliest 

146 


THE   BIRD-BOY 

of  princesses.  Twice  had  the  bird-boy  saved 
Rosabella's  life.  He  had  saved  her  the  first 
time  by  swooping  down  and  catching  her  in 
his  wings  just  as  she  was  about  to  tread  on  a 
wicked  yellow  viper;  he  had  saved  her  in  the 
same  way  when  she  had  fallen  over  a  cliff  at 
the  edge  of  the  sea. 

Every  year,  on  the  bird-boy's  birthday,  a 
great  gray  bird  would  fly  in  from  over  the  sea, 
circle  the  castle  thrice,  and  disappear,  crying 
mournfully. 

Now  when  the  bird-boy  and  Rosabella  were 
in  their  seventeenth  year,  it  came  to  pass  that 
the  King  was  summoned  to  war.  His  enemy 
was  no  other  than  the  wicked  chamberlain 
Malefico,  who  had  succeeded  to  the  kingdom 
of  the  bird-boy's  father,  when  that  Prince  had 
died  some  years  before.  So  the  good  King, 
who  had  been  a  real  father  to  the  bird-boy,  put 
on  his  shining  armor,  kissed  his  dear  wife  and 
child  good-bye,  and  rode  off  to  the  battlefield. 
The  bird-boy  begged  and  pleaded  to  be  taken 

147 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

with  him  as  his  squire,  but  the  King  would  not 
hear  of  it,  and  insisted  that  he  remain  in  the 
castle  to  take  care  of  the  Queen  and  Rosabella. 
There  was  little  cheer  in  the  castle  that  unhappy 
evening.  And  all  night  long,  the  bird-boy 
thought  he  could  hear  the  wings  of  a  great 
bird  beating  fiercely  against  the  window-panes. 

A  month  passed,  an  unhappy  month  in  which 
there  were  no  tidings  from  the  King.  Then, 
one  liny  morning,  a  messenger  who  had  rid- 
den so  hard  that  his  poor  horse  could  scarcely 
stagger,  rode  to  the  castle  gate  bearing  very 
evil  news.  A  great  battle  had  been  fought,  the 
army  of  Rosabella's  father  had  been  completely 
defeated,  and  the  troops  of  the  wicked  Malefico 
were  hurrying  toward  the  castle  as  fast  as  they 
could  come. 

And  so  it  was;  for  before  the  Queen  had  had 
time  to  summon  the  people  and  gather  to- 
gether a  few  belongings,  the  troops  of  the 
enemy  burst  in  at  the  gate,  and  a  dozen  fierce 
soldiers  surrounded  the  Queen,  Rosabella,  and 

148 


THE   BIRD-BOY 

the  bird-boy,  and  dragged  them  to  Malefico. 

When  Malefico  saw  the  bird-boy,  a  look 
3f  surprise  appeared  on  his  face,  for  he  had 
oelieved  that  the  wonderful  child  was  dead, 
rhen  he  fell  to  thinking,  and  as  he  thought, 
kicked  purposes  swept  over  his  cruel  face  just 
is  the  shadows  of  dark  clouds  sweep  over  a 
gloomy  pool. 

If  it  were  known  that  the  winged  child  is 
ilive,"  he  thought,  the  people  would  tb  ust 
ne  from  my  place,  and  restore  him  to  nis 
"ather's  throne.  Now  that  the  bird-boy  is  in 
my  hands,  I  will  destroy  him,  and  be  sure  of 
ny  power." 

So  he  smiled,  and  began  to  think  of  some 
manner  in  which  he  could  bring  the  bird-boy 
bo  a  shameful  end.  At  last  he  hit  upon  a  plan. 
He  would  declare  that  the  bird-boy  was  not  a 
auman  lad  at  all,  but  a  witch-child;  he  would 
then  accuse  the  good  King  of  having  protected 
i  witch-child,  and  condemn  them  both  to 
be  stoned.     So  he  threw  the  King  and  the 

149 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

Queen,  Rosabella  and  the  bird-boy,  into  an  old 
dungeon-tower,  and  went  through  the  mockery 
of  having  a  trial.  When  it  was  over,  he  sent 
"a  soldier  to  tell  the  King  and  the  bird-boy  that 
they  were  to  be  punished  the  following  day. 

And  now  dawned  the  unhappy  day.  The 
bird-boy  took  Rosabella's  hand  in  his,  and  to- 
gether they  went  to  the  barred  window  of  the 
prison  and  looked  out  upon  the  world.  The 
morning  was  fresh  and  fair;  a  pleasant  south- 
west wind  was  blowing.  The  King  and  the 
bird-boy  were  to  be  led  forth  at  noon.  The 
clock  marked  a  quarter  to  twelve. 

Dear  Rosabella/7  said  the  bird-boy  sadly, 

we  have  forgotten  that  to-day  is  the  day  on 
which  the  great  gray  bird  comes  from  the 
ocean  and  circles  the  castle  towers.  If  thou 
shouldst  see  the  bird  when  I  am  gone,  greet  it 
in  my  name,  as  we  did  when  we  were  happy 
children." 

"The  bird  may  come,"  said  Rosabella  amid 
her  sobs. 

150 


THE  BIRD-BOY 

No,  Rosabella,"  said  the  bird-boy,  CI  shall 
never  see  the  gray  bird  again.  And  even  if  it 
were  to  come,  what  could  it  do  to  save  us  from 
these  cruel  people?" 

When  the  clock  stood  at  five  minutes  to 
twelve,  there  was  a  confused  noise  below,  and 
Malefico  and  the  judges  who  shared  with  him 
the  guilt  of  the  unrighteous  punishment  took 
their  places  on  a  kind  of  platform  which  over- 
looked the  place  of  execution. 

They  will  soon  be  coming  to  get  us,"  said  the 
King  to  the  bird-boy. 

And  sure  enough,  they  heard  the  jangle  of 
the  jailer's  keys  at  the  foot  of  the  stair. 

Suddenly  the  sunlight  in  the  room  faded 
swiftly  into  a  strange  gray  gloom,  and  the 
bird-boy  rushed  to  the  window  to  see  if  a  storm 
was  at  hand.  A  great  shadowy  cloud,  advanc- 
ing with  inconceivable  rapidity,  already  filled 
half  the  sky,  and  as  the  boy  gazed  into  this 
cloud,  he  saw  to  his  astonishment  that  it  was 
not  a  cloud  at  all,  but  hundreds  and  hundreds 

151 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

of  thousands  of  great  gray  birds,  flapping  their 
long  wings.  The  shadow  of  the  birds  fell  over 
the  platform  on  which  the  cruel  Malefico  sat 
waiting  for  the  King  and  the  bird-boy  to  be 
brought  forth,  and  then  ceased  moving  even 
as  a  ship  that  has  come  into  harbor. 

Far  ahead  of  the  vast  swarm  flew  one  lonely 
bird,  and  suddenly  this  bird  uttered  a  shrill 
and  piercing  cry.  Immediately  every  bird  let 
fall  a  great  beach-stone  which  he  held  in  his 
claws,  and  for  a  long  minute,  the  sky  rained 
stones,  round,  polished  stones  that  fell  like 
bolts  of  thunder.  When  the  storm  was  over, 
and  the  cloud  had  begun  to  break  into  rifts 
and  speckles  of  light  and  flapping  gray  wings, 
the  wicked  Malefico  and  his  cruel  nobles  lay 
buried  forever  beneath  mound  upon  mound 
of  stones.  The  doom  which  Malefico  had  in- 
tended for  another  had  overtaken  him. 

The  King  and  the  Queen,  Rosabella  and  the 
bird-boy,  rushed  down  the  stairs  and  out  into 
the  sunlight.    As  they  did  so,  the  gray  bird 

152 


THE   BIRD-BOY 

who  had  led  the  cloud,  sank  through  the  air 
and  alighted  at  their  feet.  But  scarcely  had  the 
bird's  claws  touched  the  ground,  when  there 
was  a  flash  of  flame,  and  the  bird-boy's  mother 
stood  before  them.  She  took  her  son  in  her 
arms,  and  told  them  all  his  history  and  her 
misfortunes,  and  how  she  had  watched  over 
him  year  after  year  and  gathered  the  birds  to 
save  him. 

Thus  it  came  to  pass  that,  when  the  troops 
of  Malefico  saw  their  former  Queen  and  heard 
her  story,  they  acclaimed  the  bird-boy  as  their 
rightful  king,  and  carried  him  back  in  triumph 
into  his  own  country.  So  the  bird-boy  became 
a,  king,  married  Rosabella,  and  lived  happily 
3ver  after. 


THE  MASTER  MARINER 

Once  upon  a  time  a  fine  young  fisherman  rose 
early  in  the  morning,  and  sailed  alone  to  the 
fishing-grounds.  There  was  very  little  wind, 
and  beneath  the  speckled  clouds  and  the  cold, 
pearly  light  of  the  late  dawn,  the  broad,  low 
billows  went  slowly  and  unrippled  to  the  land. 

The  fisherman  cast  anchor,  and  threw  over- 
board his  lines.  Suddenly  his  boat  moved 
uneasily,  and  close  to  its  side  the  oily  surface 
of  the  pale  sea  broke  into  a  tumbling  mass  of 
foam.  In  the  heart  of  the  troubled  waters,  the 
fisherman  beheld,  to  his  great  astonishment, 
a  man  clad  in  a  strange  garment  of  gleaming 
black  scales,  struggling  with  an  enormous 
scarlet  fish.  A  battle  of  life  and  death  they 
fought,  the  man  of  the  sea  trying  to  stab  the 
fish  with  a  short  dagger  of  shining  steel,  the 
fish  trying,  wolf-like,  to  tear  at  the  body  of  its 
enemy.  Now,  with  a  swift  lash  of  its  bright 
scarlet  body,  the  fish  would  rush  at  the  man; 

154 


THE   MASTER   MARINER 

now,  with  a  long  sure  stroke  of  his  powerful 
arms,  the  man  would  escape  the  attack.  Sud- 
denly, the  fish  hurled  itself  clear  out  of  the 
water,  and  falling  against  the  man,  struck 
him  a  terrible  blow  with  its  tail.  Then  the 
ocean  man,  who  was  stunned  for  a  moment, 
would  have  perished,  had  not  the  young  fisher- 
man swiftly  seized  his  spear  and  plunged  deep 
into  the  body  of  the  fish.  Mortally  wounded, 
the  scarlet  creature  sank  through  the  sunless 
waters,  the  dark  blood  flowing  from  its  side. 

The  man  of  the  sea  clutched  the  rail  of  the 
boat  with  his  webbed  hands,  and  said  to  the 
fisherman,  '  I  am  the  King  of  the  Caves  of  the 
Sea.  I  owe  you  my  life,  and  you  shall  have  a 
reward.  Take  this  little  silver  fish.  It  will 
bring  you  good  fortune;  and  should  you  ever 
be  in  deadly  peril,  you  have  but  to  cast  it  into 
the  sea,  and  it  will  come  and  find  me." 

The  fisherman  thanked  the  King  of  the  Caves, 
and  took  the  silver  fish.  It  was  about  the 
length  of  your  little  finger,  and  had  pale  moon- 

155 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

stones  for  eyes.  The  fisherman  hung  the  tal- 
isman on  a  chain  and  wore  it  round  his  neck. 

From  that  morning  on,  everything  prospered 
with  the  youth.  His  boat  never  leaked,  he 
was  never  caught  in  a  storm,  and  the  fish  came 
to  his  lines  and  nets  the  instant  he  threw  them 
overboard.  Within  a  year  or  two  he  had  grown 
so  rich  that  he  was  able  to  buy  the  finest  mer- 
chant ship  in  the  world,  and  became  a  master 
mariner.  Surely  no  more  splendid  fellow  than 
this  gallant,  young  captain  was  ever  found  on 
the  Seven  Seas.  He  sailed  to  cold  and  foggy 
Flannel  Land,  where  the  inhabitants  all  have 
incurable  head  colds,  and  have  no  other  cloth 
but  red  flannel;  he  traded  in  the  ports  of  gor- 
geous Velvet  Land,  whose  inhabitants  dress  in 
velvet,  and  cover  their  walls  with  velvet  hang- 
ings and  their  floors  with  velvet  rugs. 

One  pleasant  morning,  running  before  a  fine 
westerly  breeze,  he  came  to  the  Eastern  Islands. 
Down  the  street  of  the  bazaar  walked  the 
Master  Mariner,  followed  by  those  who  had 

156 


THE   MASTER   MARINER 

articles  to  sell.  Some  showed  him  bright- 
colored  birds  which  they  had  caught  in  the 
forests;  others  waved  squares  of  figured  cloth 
and  called  upon  him  to  buy  them;  others  still 
offered  strange  flasks  and  bottles  of  brass  and 
gleaming  copper.  At  the  end  of  the  street,  the 
Master  Mariner  discovered  a  little  quiet  coun- 
ter on  which  lay  some  dozens  of  puffy  and  dis- 
tended brown-leather  bags. 

"What  are  these?"  said  the  Master  Mariner 
to  a  tall,  lean  man  with  beady,  brown  eyes  who 
was  in  charge  of  the  shop. 

" These  are  breezes,  Master  Captain,"  replied 
the  shopman.  '  If  you  are  going  south,  here  is 
a  bag  of  a  very  reliable  northwest  wind"  (he 
picked  up  one  of  the  brown  bags) ;  'if  you  are 
going  east,  here  are  some  of  the  best-assorted 
westerly  gusts.  I  am  selling  them  at  a  very  low 
price  to-day,  in  fact  at  less  than  they  cost  me. 
What  will  you  have?" 

"  I  '11  have  a  smart  easterly, '  'replied  the  Master 
Mariner. 

157 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

He  put  down  fifty  gold  pieces  on  the  counter, 
took  the  bag  which  the  shopman  gave  him, 
and  walked  away. 

Now  all  these  leather  bags  looked  very  much 
alike,  and  instead  of  selling  the  Master  Mariner 
a  brisk  easterly  breeze,  the  shopman  had  made 
an  error,  and  sold  him  a  frightful  storm. 

Again  the  Master  Mariner  went  to  sea;  but 
luckily  for  him,  he  put  the  imprisoned  storm 
away  in  a  locker,  intending  to  use  it  on  some 
other  voyage.  Presently  he  came  to  Silk  Land, 
loveliest  of  all  the  Cloth  Islands.  There  the 
inhabitants  dress  only  in  the  finest  of  silks; 
the  roofs  and  walls  are  covered  with  layers  of 
silk;  the  sun  always  shines,  and  pretty  birds 
with  silken  plumage  chatter  in  the  fern-like 
trees. 

Now  the  island  of  Silk  Land  was  at  this  time 
ruled  by  the  prettiest  of  princesses.  She  was 
about  eighteen  years  old;  she  was  tall  for  her 
age,  and  her  eyes  were  quite  the  loveliest  shade 
of  brown.     When  the  Master  Mariner's  fine 

158 


Splash  !  and  the  Master  Mariner  fell  into  the  sea. 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

ship  came  into  the  harbor  of  Silk  Land,  cleav- 
ing the  turquoise  water,  and  with  the  bright 
sun  shining  on  her  silvery-white  sails,  the 
Princess  happened  to  be  resting  under  a  silken 
awning  on  the  roof  of  her  palace.  Catching 
sight  of  the  ship,  the  Princess  cried  to  her  com- 
panions:— 

See  what  a  fine  ship  is  coming  into  port!  She 
must  be  laden  with  many  wonderful  things. 
Send  word  to  the  Captain  that  I  intend  to 
visit  her  to-morrow  morning." 

The  next  morning,  sure  enough,  the  Princess 
paid  a  visit  to  the  ship,  which  lay  at  a  wharf 
below  the  palace.  In  honor  of  the  Princess's 
coming,  everything  had  been  swept,  scrubbed, 
and  brightened,  and  gorgeous  carpets  from  the 
Eastern  Islands  covered  the  decks.  In  shaded 
ndoks,  under  costly  tapestries,  lay  the  treas- 
ures of  the  cargo — wonderful  cloths  and  spices 
from  the  Eastern  Islands,  vessels  of  gold  and 
silver  from  the  Adamant  Mountains,  and  jewels 
from  the  Desert  of  the  Moon. 

160 


THE  MASTER  MARINER 

Now  scarcely  had  the  Master  Mariner  set 
eyes  on  the  Princess,  than  he  began  to  think 
her  quite  the  most  wonderful  person  he  ever 
had  beheld;  as  for  the  Princess,  scarcely  had 
the  Master  Mariner  directed  two  or  three  re- 
spectful and  somewhat  tender  glances  in  her 
direction,  than  she  began  to  believe  him  quite 
the  most  gallant  youth  she  had  ever  seen.  She 
gave  orders  that  several  of  the  marvels  be 
brought  to  her  palace,  and  was  looking  about 
for  something  else,  when  her  eyes  chanced  to 
fall  upon  the  silver  fish  the  Master  Mariner 
was  wearing. 

"Pray,  what  is  that  little  silver  fish?"  asked 
the  Princess. 

A  mere  trifle  which  a  friend  once  gave  me/' 
replied  the  Master  Mariner,  reading  in  the 
Princess's  eyes  and  demeanor  that  she  desired 
the  talisman.  'if  Your  Majesty  will  only 
deign  to  accept  it,  it  is  yours." 

And  blinded  by  the  Princess's  eyes,  he  gal- 
lantly, but  somewhat  incautiously,  took  the 

161 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

silver  fish  from  its  chain  and  gave  it  to  the 
Princess,  who  laughed  prettily,  and  accepted 
the  gift. 

'  Silver  trumpets  sounded,  the  servitors  gath- 
ered up  the  treasures  which  the  Princess  had 
chosen,  and  the  royal  party  returned  to  the 
palace  with  a  good  deal  of  chattering  and 
laughter. 

In  a  few  days,  the  Master  Mariner  disposed  of 
his  cargo,  and  went  again  to  sea.  But  wherever 
he  went,  the  image  of  the  beautiful  Princess  of 
Silk  Land  went  with  him. 

Under  the  silken  awning,  on  the  wind-swept 
balcony,  sat  the  Princess,  and  the  image  of 
the  young  Captain  was  often  in  her  mind. 

After  three  months  had  passed,  the  Princess 
took  it  into  her  head  that  it  was  time  for  the 
Master  Mariner  to  return  to  Silk  Land,  and 
gave  orders  that  a  sharp  watch  be  kept  from 
the  tower  of  the  palace  for  his  returning  vessel. 
One  morning,  just  as  the  Princess  was  having 
breakfast  in  her  wonderful  silken  bed,  news  was 

162 


THE  MASTER  MARINER 

brought  to  her  that  a  large  ship  was  headed  for 
the  harbor. 

'is  it  the  Master  Mariner's  ship?"  asked  the 
Princess. 

I  do  not  know,  Your  Majesty/'  replied  the 
messenger.  '  The  vessel  is  still  many  miles  out 
to  sea." 

So  the  Princess  jumped  out  of  bed,  and  with- 
out waiting  for  the  ladies  of  the  bedchamber  to 
dress  her,  ran  upstairs  to  her  balcony.  A  great 
ship  was  coming  in  under  a  favoring  breeze. 
Nearer  and  nearer  it  came,  till  the  Princess 
could  even  distinguish  the  men  aboard.  Sud- 
denly she  uttered  a  little  scream,  and  ran  down 
stairs  pell-mell.  At  the  same  moment  the  bells 
of  Silk  Land  all  began  to  ring  wildly,  and  the 
beating  of  drums  sounded  through  the  town. 

The  approaching  ship  was  a  pirate  ship !  From 
the  topmast  flew  the  terrible  black  flag  of  the 
pirates  of  the  Northern  Isles! 

Great  confusion  followed. 

Warned  by  the  uproar  of  the  bells  and  drums, 

163 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

the  people  came  scurrying  through  the  streets 
to  the  palace;  some  carrying  children  in  their 
arms;  others  the  best  beloved  of  their  house- 
hold furnishings.  The  palace  was  hastily  made 
ready  for  a  siege. 

Soon,  cursing  and  swearing,  the  black-bearded 
pirates  arrived,  and  began  to  sack  the  town. 
Into  every  house  they  went,  pulling  out  all  the 
bureau  drawers,  reading  private  letters,  upset- 
ting the  clocks,  and  leaving  the  water  running 
in  the  kitchen  sinks.  They  filled  their  pockets 
with  cuff-links  and  watches. 

Now,  if  the  pirates  had  taken  only  the  cuff- 
links, stick-pins,  cameo  brooches,  silver  candle- 
sticks, souvenir  spoons,  and  sugar-tongs,  and 
then  gone  away,  the  raid  would  not  have  been 
too  terrible;  but  the  rogues,  bribed  by  the 
horrid  old  King  of  the  Oyster  Mountains,  a 
rejected  suitor,  were  bent  on  getting  possession 
of  the  Princess.  On  discovering  that  she  had 
locked  herself  up  in  the  strong  palace,  their 
rage  knew  no  bounds.     They  made  a  dozen 

164 


THE   MASTER  MARINER 

different  attempts  to  break  open  the  palace 
door,  but  all  in  vain.  Finally,  they  decided  to 
besiege  the  fortress. 

For  four  days  all  went  well  enough  with  the 
Princess  and  her  imprisoned  people;  but  by  the 
sixth  day  most  of  the  food  had  been  eaten;  and 
by  the  end  of  the  eighth  day,  the  Princess  knew 
she  would  have  to  surrender  the  following  morn- 
ing. With  a  sinking  heart  she  went  to  a  tur- 
ret and  looked  out  over  the  ocean  in  the  hope 
of  catching  sight  of  a  passing  sail.  But  she 
saw  only  the  deserted  town  and  the  pirate  ship 
riding  at  anchor  in  the  bay.  An  hour  later  she 
went  to  the  turret  again,  and  again  she  saw 
no  sign  of  anything  at  sea.  A  terrible  despair 
seized  upon  her,  but  nevertheless  once  more  to 
the  turret  she  climbed. 

Far  out  at  sea,  headed  toward  land,  was  the 
brave  ship  of  the  Master  Mariner! 

So  great  was  the  joy  of  the  poor  Princess  at 
the  sight  of  the  gallant  vessel  that  she  almost 
swooned;  but  recovering  herself,  like  the  Prin- 

165 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

cess  that  she  was,  she  ran  down  into  the  court- 
yard and  told  the  news  to  her  people.  Im- 
mediately those  who  were  weak  or  fretful  from 
hunger  began  to  take  heart,  and  all  who  could 
crowded  to  the  barred  windows. 

The  Master  Mariner's  vessel  came  riding  into 
the  port;  the  watchers  saw  her  drop  anchor, 
saw  the  boats  being  lowered,  and  the  sailors 
coming  ashore.  Soon  the  pirates  and  the  sail- 
ors were  at  it  hammer  and  tongs;  a  ceaseless 
clack  clack  of  steel  beating  upon  steel  rose  to 
the  turrets  of  the  palace;  there  were  dreadful 
duels  in  the  alleyways  and  battles  in  the  public 
squares.  Alas!  just  as  the  sailors  were  carrying 
the  day,  the  Master  Mariner  received  a  blow 
on  the  head  which  knocked  him  insensible,  and 
the  mariners,  disorganized  by  the  loss  of  their 
chief,  were  soon  surrounded  and  taken  prison- 
ers. Then,  taking  heart,  the  pirates  rushed  the 
palace,  and  burst  open  the  doors. 

When  the  rogues  had  taken  everything  on 
which  they  could  lay  their  hands,  they  brought 

166 


THE   MASTER   MARINER 

the  prisoners  and  the  plunder  to  the  market- 
place. 

"  Shall  we  bind  all  these  people  and  take  them 
aboard?"  asked  a  pirate. 

'  No ! ' '  roared  the  one-eyed  pirate  chief.  '  Take 
only  the  Princess  and  that  rogue  of  a  Master 
Mariner." 

The  people  now  began  to  cry,  Oh,  don't  take 
the  Princess,  our  dear  Princess!"  But  all  their 
prayers  were  useless. 

Now,  because  the  Master  Mariner's  ship  was 
far  more  swift  and  beautiful  than  the  pirate 
ship,  the  pirates,  after  setting  fire  to  their  own 
vessel,  abandoned  her,  and  put  their  plunder 
Dn  board  the  Master  Mariner's  vessel.  The 
following  morning,  leaving  the  people  of  Silk 
Land  robbed  and  mourning,  the  pirates  sailed 
away. 

Within  a  few  hours,  all  signs  of  land  had 
disappeared.  The  sea  was  as  black  as  ink. 
Against  the  horizon's  edge,  the  great  waves 
were  leaping  and  breaking  into  foam. 

167 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 


it 


Bring  me  the  list  of  booty!"  cried  the  pirate 
captain,  roaring  the  last  word. 

So  the  pirate  treasurer  came  on  deck,  and 
read  a  long  list  beginning,  — 
Fifty-three  scarf-pins." 
Hooray!"  shouted  the  pirate  crew. 
A  hundred  and  eighty-five  sterling  silver 
berry-spoons,"  next  announced  the  treasurer. 
Hooray!"  cried  the  crew  again. 
One  thousand  clocks!"  cried  the  treasurer. 
How  many  with  alarms?"  asked  an  old 
pirate  anxiously. 

There  was  a  strained  silence.    The  treasurer 
consulted  his  list. 

Seven  hundred  and  forty-nine,"  he  answered. 
'  Hooray!"  yelled  the  pirate  crew. 
When  the  list  had  been  read  (it  took  very 
nearly  half  an  hour  to  do  it)  the  one-eyed  cap- 
tain cried,   '  Bring  forth  the  Master  Mariner!" 
So  the  Master  Mariner  was  brought  forth, 
and  thrown  brutally  against  a  mast.     The 
pirate  chief  put  his  arms  akimbo,  cleared  his 

168 


THE   MASTER   MARINER 

throat  savagely,  and  roared,  "So  you  thought 
you  were  going  to  punish  me,  did  you!  Well, 
I'll  show  you  what  happens  to  people  who 
upset  my  plans.  Here,  Hawk  Eye,  and  you, 
Toby,  throw  this  fellow  overboard.'7 

Hearing  this  awful  order,  the  Princess 
screamed  and  would  have  run  to  the  Master 
Mariner,  had  not  rude  hands  restrained  her. 

Splash!  the  Mariner  fell  into  the  inky  sea. 
Swift  as  a  bird,  his  own  ship  went  by  him;  he 
saw  the  mocking  face  of  the  pirate  chief  leering 
at  him  from  over  the  rail;  in  a  few  minutes  he 
was  alone,  all,  all  alone  in  the  wide,  wide  sea. 
For  some  time  he  swam  about,  and  by  great 
good  luck  discovered  a  log  of  wood  strong 
enough  to  bear  his  weight,  floating  near  at 
hand.  Upon  this  he  climbed,  and  there  we 
shall  leave  him  for  the  present. 

When  the  Captain  had  disappeared  from  sight 
miles  behind,  the  pirate  chief  walked  over  to 
the  Princess,  and  looking  at  her,  said  sneer- 
ingly,    'Well,  my  beauty,  are  you  going  to 

169 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

make  up  your  mind  to  be  the  wife  of  the  King 
of  the  Oyster  Mountains?  I'm  taking  you  to 
him,  and  mind  now,  no  fooling!" 

The  Princess  shrank  from  him  with  horror, 
and  as  she  fell  back,  the  sun  gleamed  on  the 
silver  fish  she  was  wearing  at  her  throat.  The 
chief  made  a  rude  snatch  at  it;  the  Princess, 
however,  was  quicker  than  he,  and  hit  him  a 
good  box  on  the  ear. 

Ow!"  cried  the  chief,  dancing  up  and  down 
with  rage.  I'll  fix  you,  you  ill-tempered  minx. 
Here,  somebody,  tie  this  girl  to  the  mast  for 
the  rest  of  the  day,  and  give  her  nothing  but 
bread  and  water." 

In  obedience  to  his  order,  the  Princess,  with 
her  arms  tied  by  the  wrists  behind  her  back, 
was  lashed  to  the  mast.  When  she  had  been 
securely  bound,  the  chief,  whose  ear  was  still 
tingling,  took  the  silver  fish.  He  was  looking 
at  it  when  he  saw  something  which  made  him 
drop  the  fish  on  the  deck. 

Out  of  the  forecastle  door  thick  clouds  of 

170 


THE   MASTER   MARINER 

black  mist  were  rolling,  exactly  as  if  the  hold 
of  the  ship  were  on  fire.  For  a  meddlesome 
pirate  had  found  the  leather  bag  of  storm-wind 
and  had  opened  it,  mistaking  it  for  a  bag  of 
wine. 

The  strange  clouds,  swirling  round  the  deck, 
grew  instant  by  instant  darker  and  denser. 
Soon  the  tops  of  the  masts  could  no  longer  be 
distinguished.  The  sun  took  on  a  horrible  cop- 
per hue,  and  the  sea  became  a  mottled  black 
and  green.    A  howling  wind  arose. 

A  moment  later,  with  the  violence  of  an  ex- 
plosion, the  storm  burst.  Mountain-high  rose 
the  glassy  white-capped  waves.  The  lightning 
fell  in  violet  cataracts,  and  thunder  roared  and 
tumbled  through  the  caverns  of  the  sky.  An 
ocean  of  hissing  rain  fell  into  the  waters. 

Suddenly  the  pirate  chief,  as  he  staggered 
down  the  stairs,  shouted,    We  are  lost!" 

Just  astern,  an  enormous,  glassy  wave,  higher 
than  the  masts  of  the  ship,  was  about  to 
break.    The  pirates  yelled,  but  little  good  their 

171 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

yelling  did  them.  An  instant  later  the  wave 
broke  upon  the  deck,  and  crashing  tons  of 
green  water  swept  every  single  pirate  into  the 
sea.  Slowly,  and  with  the  tense  struggle  of  a 
wounded  animal,  the  good  ship  lifted  itself 
from  the  waves. 

The  Princess  was  the  only  human  being  left 
on  board.  Only  the  cords  which  bound  her  to 
the  mast  had  saved  her  from  being  swept  away. 

Now,  when  the  water  swept  the  deck,  the  sil- 
ver fish  which  lay  at  the  Princess's  feet  became 
alive  and  darted  over  the  rail  into  the  sea. 

The  storm  continued.  The  helpless  Princess 
expected  every  minute  to  sink  with  the  ship 
into  the  roaring  waters.  Suddenly,  to  her  hor- 
ror, a  high  rocky  island  appeared  a  few  miles 
ahead.  Toward  this  island,  over  whose  cruel 
reefs  the  ocean  was  foaming  and  breaking,  the 
ship  was  drifting  fast.  Tied  to  the  mast,  the 
Princess  listened  to  the  terrible  cry  of  the  break- 
ers, and,  spell-bound,  watched  the  jagged  rocks 
of  the  island  ever  drawing  nearer. 

172 


THE   MASTER  MARINER 

Now  while  the  Princess  was  in  this  terrible 
situation,  the  Master  Mariner,  who  had  been 
blown  before  the  storm  like  a  feather,  also 
came  in  sight  of  the  rocky  island.  The  instant 
he  caught  sight  of  the  shore,  and  heard  the 
roaring  of  the  breakers,  he  knew  that  he  could 
not  hope  to  reach  the  land.  He  was  on  the 
edge  of  the  reefs  when  the  King  of  the  Caves  of 
the  Sea,  who  had  been  summoned  by  the  sil- 
ver fish,  rose  out  of  the  water  beside  him,  and 
taking  him  in  his  webbed  hands,  swam  with 
him  to  a  place  of  safety.  Just  as  they  reached 
the  shallows,  the  mists  of  the  tempest  parted, 
and  driving  through  the  darkness  and  the 
storm,  headed  for  the  reefs,  came  the  Master 
Mariner's  ship  with  the  Princess  tied  to  the 
mast. 

Oh,  save  her!    Save  the  Princess!"  cried  the 
Master  Mariner. 

The  King  of  the  Caves  of  the  Sea  stretched  out 
his  hands  over  the  island  and  uttered  a  strange 
and  mysterious  word.    So  awful  was  its  power 

173 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

that  the  rocky  cliffs  split  open,  forming  a  safe 
and  sheltered  harbor.  Into  this  port  came  the 
ship,  safe  at  last  as  a  bird  in  its  nest. 

So  the  Master  Mariner,  the  Princess,  and  the 
ship  were  all  wonderfully  preserved,  and  when 
the  storm  was  over,  the  King  of  the  Caves  saw 
them  home  to  Silk  Land.  There  the  Master 
Mariner  found  his  crew  waiting  for  him,  and  in 
a  few  days  they  had  rigged  new  sails  for  the 
ship  which  were  even  whiter  than  the  old.  The 
inhabitants  got  back  the  fifty-three  scarf  pins, 
the  hundred  and  eighty-five  sterling  silver  berry- 
spoons,  the  thousand  clocks,  and  the  rest  of 
the  booty  which  the  pirates  had  stowed  away 
in  the  Master  Mariner's  ship. 

Great  was  the  rejoicing. 

Greater  still  was  the  joy,  however,  when  the 
Master  Mariner  married  the  Princess. 


THE  MARVELOUS  DOG 

AND  THE 

WONDERFUL  CAT 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  an  old  enchanter 
who  taught  magic  and  enchantment  to  the 
younger  fairies.  Year  after  year,  and  morning 
after  morning,  he  was  to  be  found  at  his  school- 
room in  the  Fairies'  College,  standing  between 

175 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

his  desk  and  a  blackboard,  now  writing  down 
the  spell  for  turning  noses  into  turnips,  now 
changing  sunflower  seeds  into  pearls  before  the 
very  eyes  of  his  pupils. 

The  old  enchanter  liked  this  life  of  quiet  and 
study,  and  doubtless  would  have  been  teaching 
in  Fairyland  to  this  very  day,  had  he  not  been 
so  unfortunate  as  to  quarrel  with  the  terrible 
sorcerer  Zidoc,  who  was  then  Lord  High  Chan- 
cellor of  the  Fairies'  College.  I  have  forgotten 
exactly  what  the  quarrel  was  about,  but  I  think 
that  it  had  to  do  with  the  best  spell  for  causing 
castles  to  fall  to  pieces  in  an  instant.  At  any 
rate,  Zidoc,  who  considered  himself  quite  the 
most  wonderful  enchanter  in  Fairyland,  was 
furious  at  being  opposed,  and  told  the  old 
enchanter,  very  angrily,  that  he  was  not  to 
have  his  classes  any  more  and  must  leave  the 
college  at  once.  So  the  poor  old  gentleman 
packed  up  his  magic  books,  put  his  enchanter's 
wand  into  its  silver  case,  and  went  to  the  coun- 
try one  pleasant  day  in  search  of  a  house. 

176 


THE   WONDERFUL   DOG  AND   CAT 

Thanks  to  the  advice  of  a  friendly  chimney 
swift,  it  did  not  take  him  long  to  find  one.  The 
dwelling  was  the  property  of  the  Fairy  Jocapa. 
It  stood  just  off  the  high  road,  close  by  a  lane  of 
great  oaks  whose  shiny,  fringed  leaves  glistened 
in  the  hot  noon-day  sun;  it  had  a  high  roof  with 
sides  steep  as  mountain  slopes,  and  one  great 
chimney;  and  its  second  story  thrust  itself  out 
over  the  first  in  the  old-fashioned  way.  Green 
fields,  little  hills,  and  pleasant  meadows  in 
which  red  and  white  cows  were  grazing  lay 
behind  the  dwelling. 

Seeing  the  front  door  wide  open,  the  enchanter 
walked  in.  It  was  very  quiet.  Only  the  far 
away  klingle-klangle  of  a  cow-bell  could  be 
heard. 

"Here  shall  I  live,"  said  the  enchanter.  And 
he  brought  his  possessions  to  the  house. 

Now,  one  autumnal  morning,  when  a  blue 
haze  hung  over  the  lonely  fields  from  which  the 
reapers  had  departed,  and  the  golden  leaves 
were  wet  underfoot,  the  old  enchanter  went  for 

177 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

a  walk  down  the  lane,  and  finding  the  day 
agreeable,  kept  on  until  he  found  himself  in 
the  woods.  Arriving  at  the  crest  of  a  little  hill 
Si  the  woodland,  he  saw  below  him,  almost 
at  the  foot  of  the  slope,  a  countryman  with  a 
white  puppy  and  a  black  kitten  following  at 
his  heels.  The  little  dog  barked  merrily  out  of 
pure  high  spirits,  whilst  the  kitten  leaped  and 
struck  with  its  tiny  paws  at  the  passing  white 
butterflies. 

As  the  old  enchanter  approached  the  coun- 
tryman, he  happened  to  hear  him  say  to  the 
animals, — 

"Alas,  my  poor  innocents,  what  a  pity  that  I 
should  have  to  abandon  you!" 

" What's  that?"  said  the  enchanter,  halting 
the  countryman.  ''You  intend  to  abandon 
these  helpless  creatures?" 

"Alas,  I  must,"  replied  the  countryman,  pull- 
ing a  large  blue  bandanna  handkerchief  from 
his  pocket  and  applying  it  to  the  corners  of  his 
eyes.     "We  are  too  poor  to  be  able  to  feed 

178 


THE  WONDERFUL  DOG  AND   CAT 

them,  and  my  children  love  them  so  well  that 
I  cannot  find  it  in  my  heart  to  do  them  harm. 
I  am  taking  them  into  these  woods  to  abandon 
them,  in  the  hope  that,  like  the  wild  animals, 
they  will  soon  learn  to  shift  for  themselves." 

"Give  them  to  me,"  said  the  old  enchanter, 
"I  will  bring  them  up."  The  countryman 
nodded  his  head.  "As  for  you,  here  is  a  golden 
florin.    May  it  bring  you  better  fortune." 

Thus  did  the  white  puppy  and  black  kitten 
change  hands. 

Once  he  had  led  the  animals  safely  home,  the 
enchanter  resolved  to  make  them  the  most 
wonderful  animals  that  had  ever  been  seen  in 
the  whole  wide  world,  whether  in  Fairyland  or 
out  of  it.  Being  an  enchanter,  he  could,  of 
course,  do  this  more  easily  than  other  people. 
So  he  taught  the  cat  and  the  dog  all  the  known 
languages,  then  history,  arithmetic,  dancing, 
social  deportment,  and  a  variety  of  the  best 
magic  and  spells.  The  cat,  as  was  to  be  ex- 
pected, was  particularly  good  on  anything  that 

179 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

had '  cat '  in  it;  he  once  catalogued  all  the  prin- 
cipal catastrophes;  while  the  dog,  although  a 
good  student,  had  a  fancy  for  writing  doggerel. 
Many  and  many  a  time,  when  the  enchanter 
and  his  wonderful  animals  were  seated  in  their 
armchairs  round  a  blazing  fire,  talking  exactly 
as  any  three  good  friends  might  talk,  a  nose 
would  flatten  itself  against  the  panes,  and  the 
three  companions  would  see  looking  in  at  them 
some  stranger  whose  curiosity  had  got  the 
better  of  his  manners. 

The  dog,  I  may  say,  had  grown  up  to  be  a  fine 
fellow  of  the  short-haired,  white  bull  terrier 
family;  the  cat  had  grown  to  be  as  aristocratic 
as  a  panther.  When  their  education  was  com- 
plete, the  animals  came  to  their  teacher  and 
begged  him  to  let  them  go  away  and  see  the 
world.  For  a  long  time  the  enchanter,  who 
loved  his  charges  very  much  indeed,  resisted 
their  request;  but  as  they  continued  to  press 
him,  he  came  at  length  to  yield.  Calling  them 
before  him,  he  said  to  them: — 

180 


THE   WONDERFUL  DOG  AND   CAT 

"Well,  dear  pupils,  if  you  must  go,  you  must 
go.  I  owe  the  Fairy  Jocapa  twelve  months  rent 
for  this  house.  She  is  now  living  with  her 
nephew,  the  King  of  the  Land  of  the  Runaway 
Rivers.  You  shall  take  twelve  golden  florins 
to  her.  Your  route  will  take  you  over  all  the 
kingdoms  of  the  whole  wide  world.' ' 

So  the  white  dog,  who  was  the  stronger  of. 
the  two,  took  the  purse  with  the  twelve  golden 
coins,  and  put  it  in  a  large  wallet  which  he  wore 
at  his  side,  and  then  both  the  wonderful  ani- 
mals said  good-bye.  At  the  corner  of  the  lane 
they  turned  again  to  look  for  the  last  time  at 
their  dwelling,  and  saw  their  old  master  still 
waving  at  them  from  the  little  window  over 
the  door.  Then  they  fared  over  the  hills  and 
far  away. 

So  wise,  so  well-bred  and  good-tempered  were 
these  wonderful  animals,  that  their  journey 
across  the  world  was  a  great  success  from  the 
beginning.  Their  fame  spread  from  kingdom 
to  kingdom  like  wild-fire.     The  universities, 

181 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

colleges,  and  other  learned  societies  fought  with 
each  other  for  the  privilege  of  entertaining 
these  distinguished  students .  To  this  very  day, 
the  address  which  the  cat  made  on  catapults 
and  cataplasms,  before  the  professors  of  the 
University  of  Sagessa,  is  remembered  as  one  of 
the  great  events  of  the  time ;  while  the  dog's 
address  on  dogma  before  the  assembled  schol- 
ars of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Fairyland  was 
printed  in  a  special  book  bound  in  gold  leaf 
and  walpus  leather.  Both  the  cat  and  the  dog 
were  awarded  countless  honorary  decorations. 
And  so,  little  by  little,  they  came  to  a  hilly 
land  in  which  all  the  streams  raced  pell-mell 
to  the  sea,  and  there  they  knew  themselves  to 
be  in  the  Kingdom  of  the  Runaway  Rivers.  A 
three  days'  journey  brought  them  to  the  royal 
castle.  Arriving  in  the  twilight,  they  were 
somewhat  surprised  to  find  a  number  of  torch- 
bearers  waiting  for  them  in  the  castle  court- 
yard. With  great  respect,  these  attendants 
conducted  the  cat  and  the  dog  into  a  little  ante- 

182 


THE  WONDERFUL  DOG  AND   CAT 

room,  and  then  retired,  leaving  them  alone. 
A  few  minutes  later,  a  very  old  woman,  who, 
the  animals  noticed,  was  stone-blind,  came  to 
take  them  before  the  king. 

"How  strange! "  whispered  the  cat  in  its 
rather  meouw-y  voice. 

"  Very/'  whispered  back  the  dog  in  his  deeper 
tone. 

Having  opened,  one  after  the  other,  three 
great  doors  with  three  different  iron  keys,  the 
old  woman,  guiding  herself  by  touching  the 
wall  with  her  hand,  led  the  animals  into  a  long 
dark  corridor.  The  cat,  who  could  see  quite 
well  in  the  dark,  did  not  mind  this,  but  the 
dog  was  not  particularly  pleased.  The  echoes 
of  the  old  woman's  boots  went  rolling  along  in 
the  hollow  darkness;  the  dog  could  hear  his 
heart  beat,  and  saw  his  black  companion's  eyes 
glowing  like  pools  of  flame.  Then,  to  their 
mutual  relief,  the  animals  saw  a  point  of  light 
appearing  far  down  the  passage,  and  on  reach- 
ing this,  they  discovered  a  second  blind  old 

183 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

woman  holding  a  torch.  The  first  old  woman 
beckoned  them  to  follow  this  new  guide,  and 
disappeared  again  into  the  dark  corridors  by 
which  they  had  arrived. 

The  second  old  woman,  lifting  high  the  torch, 
first  led  her  charges  through  three  more  great 
doors,  all  of  which  she  carefully  locked  behind 
her.  Soon  the  animals  found  themselves  at 
the  top  of  a  winding  stair  whose  end  was  lost 
in  darkness.  Down  this  stair  they  went,  turn- 
ing, ever  turning,  down  and  round,  down  and 
round,  till  both  cat  and  dog  felt  dizzily  that 
they  must  have  reached  the  heart  of  the  earth. 
Then,  little  by  little,  a  pin-point  of  light  began 
to  glow  brighter  and  brighter,  and  the  animals 
found  themselves  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  and 
opposite  a  little  door.  And  there,  by  this  door, 
stood  another  blind  old  woman,  who  held  a 
torch  and  beckoned  to  the  animals  to  follow. 

Three  more  doors  they  passed,  the  last  one 
opening  on  a  very  narrow,  winding  passage. 
In  and  out  they  turned,  walking  one  behind  the 

184 


THE   WONDERFUL   DOG  AND   CAT 

other,  for  a  time  that  seemed  very,  very  long. 
Suddenly  a  narrow  door  appeared  in  the  wind- 
ing wall,  which  opened  inward  as  they  drew 
near,  revealing  a  beautiful  round  chamber 
riclily  furnished  and  hung  with  the  finest  tap- 
estries. Beside  the  fireplace,  in  which  a  wood- 
fire  was  cheerily  burning,  sat  a  gray-haired  lady, 
who  was  no  other  than  the  Fairy  Jocapa,  and 
in  the  centre  of  the  room,  reading  a  great  book 
by  the  light  of  many  candles,  sat  a  young  man, 
the  King. 

In  spite  of  the  enchanter's  careful  training  in 
manners,  the  cat  and  the  dog,  I  am  sorry  to 
say,  almost  stared  for  an  instant  at  the  King. 
Small  wonder  that  they  did  so,  for  the  unfor- 
tunate young  man  lay  under  a  horrid  spell,  and 
his  face  and  hands  were  not  pink  or  white 
or  sun-brown,  like  yours  or  mine,  but  bright 
green,  like  a  parrot's  wing! 

" Welcome,  0  wonderful  animals,"  said  the 
enchanted  King.  "Your  fame  has  gone  before 
you  into  every  land,  and  it  is  said  that  there  is 

185 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

no  question  you  cannot  answer.    Listen,  then, 
to  my  story  and  help  me  if  you  can. 

"You  see  me  before  you,  hideously  changed. 
Until  you  entered  here,  an  instant  past,  no 
eyes  but  those  of  my  aunt  had  beheld  my  horri- 
ble countenance.  It  was  she  who  caused  this 
enchanted  chamber  to  appear  in  the  heart  of 
the  foundations  of  my  castle;  and  in  this  cham- 
ber I  have  hidden  since  that  terrible  hour  when 
the  spell  was  put  upon  me.  My  subjects  only 
know  that  I  am  still  alive .  The  Lord  Chancellor 
rules  the  kingdom  in  my  stead.  But  hearken 
to  my  story. 

Ten  months  ago,  as  I  was  driving  my  chariot 
down  a  narrow  road  built  along  a  river-bank 
close  to  the  stream,  I  encountered  a  chariot 
being  driven  furiously  in  the  opposite  direction. 
The  driver  of  the  chariot  was  a  tall,  elderly 
man,  wearing  a  wizard's  cap;  his  face  was  red 
as  with  anger,  an  evil  light  gleamed  in  his  small 
malicious  eyes.  In  order  to  let  him  pass,  I 
turned  to  one  side,  as  near  to  the  river-brink  as 

186 


THE  WONDERFUL  DOG  AND   CAT 

I  dared;  but  the  space  was  too  narrow,  our 
chariots  locked  wheels,  and  his  was  overthrown. 
Turning  upon  me  a  face  aflame  with  hatred, 
he  cried  out,  'I  will  teach  you  what  it  is  to 
offend  the  Enchanter  Zidoc';  and  an  instant 
later  the  wizard  himself,  the  struggling  horses, 
and  the  overturned  chariot  disappeared  in  a 
rumble  of  thunder  and  a  great  flash  of  flame. 
"I  turned  homeward,  never  noticing  that  any- 
thing had  happened  to  me.  As  I  chanced  to 
pass  a  roadside  cottage,  a  little  child  playing 
about  saw  me  and  ran,  screaming  for  fear, 
to  the  door.  A  little  farther  on,  I  stopped  to 
drink  of  a  spring.  Judge  of  my  horror  when  I 
leaned  over  the  clear  pool  of  water  and  saw  that 
my  face  had  turned  a  bright  green!  I  waited 
till  nightfall,  stole  into  the  castle  unobserved, 
and  sought  the  aid  of  my  aunt,  the  fairy.  You 
know  the  rest.  Speak,  0  wonderful  dog  and 
wonderful  cat,  and  bid  me  hope  a  little!" 

And  the  poor  King  hid  his  bright  green  face 
in  his  hands. 

187 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

"The  Enchanter  Zidoc  is  an  old  enemy  of  our 
dear  master/'  said  the  white  dog,  "and  his 
power  as  a  sorcerer  is  the  greatest  in  Fairy- 
land." 

'I  have  tried  all  my  powers  against  him  in 
vain,"  said  the  Fairy  Jocapa,  sadly. 

"But  let  us  not  despair,"  broke  in  the  cat. 
"Zidoc  is  now  to  be  found  in  these  dominions. 
His  castle  lies  on  the  border  of  the  Silver  Hills. 
The  dog  and  I  will  go  there,  and  see  if  we  can 
help  the  King." 

So  the  Fairy  and  the  unhappy  King  thanked 
the  wise  animals,  and  sent  for  the  blind  old 
women  to  lead  them  back  to  the  upper  world. 
Early  next  morning,  the  famous  pair  began 
the  journey  to  the  Enchanter's  den.  The  dog's 
plan  was  to  pretend  to  be  but  an  everyday 
stray  dog,  and  to  this  end,  he  rolled  several 
times  in  a  mud-puddle;  the  cat,  too,  was  to 
appear  as  a  stray  cat,  and  neglected  his  fine 
black  coat  in  order  to  look  the  part. 

Unfortunately  for  their  plan,  Zidoc  had  in 

188 


THE   WONDERFUL   DOG  AND   CAT 

his  chamber  a  little  enchanted  bell  which  rang 
shrilly  when  danger  threatened  him.  Hearing 
the  bell  ring  late  at  night,  Zidoc  rose  from  his 
bed,  and  hurrying  to  the  turret  window,  saw, 
by  the  light  of  the  waning  moon,  the  dog  and 
the  cat  making  their  way  to  the  castle  through 
the  wood.  •  Rubbing  his  hands  with  glee,  he 
determined  to  let  the  two  animals  walk  head- 
long into  his  power,  and  then  inflict  upon  them 
some  terrible  revenge. 

The  first  day  the  dog  went  indoors,  and  con- 
cealed himself  under  a  sofa,  while  the  cat  re- 
mained outside.  When  twilight  came,  the  dog 
ran  out  and  met  the  cat  in  the  castle  garden. 

"Did  you  discover  anything?"  asked  the  cat. 

" Nothing  whatever,"  replied  the  dog. 

"I  will  try  to-morrow,"  said  the  cat. 

And  so,  when  the  morning  came,  the  dog  re- 
mained outside  while  the  cat  concealed  himself 
behind  a  curtain.  When  the  twilight  came, 
the  animals  met  again. 

"  Did  you  discover  anything?"  asked  the  dog. 

189 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

"Very  little/'  replied  the  cat.  "The  Sorcerer 
Serponel  is  coming  to-morrow  to  pay  Zidoc  a 
visit.  One  of  us  must  hide  in  the  room  in  which 
they  will  talk;  for  perhaps  we  may  learn  some- 
thing which  may  help  us  to  lift  the  spell  from 
the  King." 

11  To-morrow  it  is  my  turn,"  said  the  dog. 
And  so  the  next  morning  he  stole  into  the  house 
and  hid  again  beneath  the  sofa. 

Now  Zidoc  knew  very  well  where  the  dog  had 
concealed  himself.  Moreover,  he  had  sum- 
moned the  powerful  Serponel  to  his  aid  in 
order  that  the  dog  and  the  cat  should  have  no 
opportunity  to  escape. 

When  Serponel  arrived,  both  the  wicked 
enchanters  went  to  the  room  in  which  the 
dog  lay  concealed.  First,  Zidoc  locked  the  only 
door  with  a  great  key  and  then  he  said  to 
Serponel, — 

"Brother,  someone  tells  me  that  there  is  an 
enemy  hidden  under  the  sofa." 

"Yes,  brother,"  replied  the  dreadful  Serponel. 

190 


THE  WONDERFUL  DOG  AND   CAT 

"And  something  tells  me  that  it  is  time  to  let 
him  feel  your  staff." 

Now  Zidoc  had  an  enchanted  staff  whose 
blows  were  mortal,  and  knowing  this,  the  poor 
dog,  who  was  trapped  between  the  wall  and 
the  two  sorcerers,  grew  cold  with  fear  to  the  tip 
of  his  white  tail.  Just  as  he  was  about  to  make 
a  bolt  into  the  open,  Zidoc  dragged  the  sofa 
swiftly  aside,  and  aimed  a  terrible  blow  at  him, 
which  by  the  greatest  good  luck  just  missed  its 
mark.  He  then  ran  out  into  the  room,  pur- 
sued by  the  sorcerers,  who  little  by  little  forced 
him  toward  a  corner. 

And  now,  just  as  Zidoc,  holding  the  staff  up- 
lifted, was  about  to  strike  the  poor  dog  with  all 
his  force,  a  black  shape,  with  flaming  eyes  and 
paws  outstretched  to  scratch,  leaped  through 
the  open  window  and  landed  upon  Zidoc's  back. 
It  was  the  brave  cat,  who  had  heard  the  fracas 
from  his  hiding-place  below  and  had  clawed 
his  way  up  the  castle  wall  to  help  his  friend. 
Valiant  Puss,  forgetting  in  one  instant,  I  must 

191 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

admit,  all  its  knowledge  of  languages,  catas- 
trophes, history,  social  deportment,  and  agri- 
culture, plunged  instantly  into  the  fray,  and 
gave  Zidoc  a  frightful  scratch,  which  so  upset 
him  that  it  caused  him  to  drop  his  staff,  while 
the  dog  profiting  by  the  confusion,  and  forget- 
ting all  about  geometry,  mathematics,  agricul- 
ture, and  dogma,  managed  to  give  Serponel  a 
good  bite  just  above  the  ankle. 

The  wily  Zidoc,  however,  was  not  to  be  so 
easily  thwarted.  Uttering  a  magic  word,  he 
caused  the  room  to  be  filled  with  darkness,  and 
in  the  cover  of  this  darkness  he  transformed 
himself  instantly  into  a  black  cat  exactly  like 
the  learned  cat,  while  Serponel  changed  him- 
self into  a  white  dog  exactly  like  the  learned 
dog.  At  the  same  moment  he  caused  the  locked 
door  to  fly  open. 

"Now,"  thought  he,  "I  will  cause  the  cat  to 
follow  the  wrong  white  dog,  and  the  dog  to 
follow  the  wrong  cat;  we  shall  thus  separate 
the  animals,  and  when  we  have  lured  them 

192  ■ 


THE  WONDERFUL  DOG  AND   CAT 

far  away  from  each  other,  Serponel  and  I  will 
resume  our  true  forms,  and  destroy  these  med- 
dlesome creatures." 

When  the  darkness  cleared,  the  hearts  of  the 
true  animals  fell  for  fear  lest  the  sorcerer's  ruse 
be  successful;  but  they  met  the  challenge  read- 
ily, and  instead  of  fleeing,  stood  their  ground; 
the  true  dog  battling  with  the  false  dog,  the 
real  cat  with  the  false  cat.  Never  was  such  a 
hullaballoo  heard  in  Fairyland.  Then,  seeing 
that  he  was  in  danger  of  being  badly  scratched, 
Zidoc  brought  on  another  darkness,  the  floor 
of  the  castle  shook,  a  noise  as  of  thunder  roared 
and  rattled  through  the  room.  When  the 
darkness  ended,  both  the  enchanters  had  been 
separated  and  the  cats  were  confused,  the  real 
dog  was  chasing  the  real  cat,  thinking  that  he 
was  following  Zidoc,  while  Serponel,  who  had 
been  the  false  white  dog,  was  pursuing  Zidoc, 
who  had  been  the  false  black  cat!  Down  the 
stairs,  over  the  terraces  and  the  gardens  ran 
the  true  dog,  pursuing  the  true  cat,  while  in- 

193 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

doors,  up  and  down  through  the  rooms  and 
over  the  furniture,  raced  the  false  animals. 

The  poor  cat,  thinking  he  was  being  pursued 
by  the  wrong  dog,  grew  short  of  breath,  and, 
hearing  the  snapping  at  his  heels,  ran  up  a  con- 
venient tree.  Hardly  had  he  reached  a  point 
above  the  dog's  jaws  when  a  voice  said:  — 

uWhy,  my  pupils,  my  pupils!  What  a  way 
to  behave !   Stop  your  quarreling  this  instant  V ' 

The  animals  turned  to  look,  and  saw  their 
master,  the  old  enchanter.  He  had  been  wor- 
ried by  their  long  absence  and  had  gone  forth  to 
look  for  them.  Thus,  at  the  same  moment  that 
the  poor  dog  saw  that  he  had  been  pursuing 
his  friend,  the  cat  saw  that  he  had  been  escap- 
ing from  his  comrade. 

Suddenly  a  noise  from  the  castle  arrested 
their  attention,  and  on  looking  up,  all  saw 
through  the  windows  the  false  dog  pursuing 
the  false  cat  down  the  hall  of  state. 

Now,  if  you  remember  the  first  part  of  this 
story,  you  will  recall  that  Zidoc  quarreled  with 

194 


« THE  WONDERFUL  DOG  AND  CAT 

the  old  enchanter  over  the  right  spell  for  de- 
stroying castles.  A  triumphant  smile  shone 
on  the  lips  of  the  old  teacher;  he  stretched  forth 
his  hand  toward  the  castle  and  uttered  a  magic 
word. 

There  was  a  roar  as  of  twenty  thousand  cata- 
racts, and  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  the  castle 
collapsed  in  a  cloud  of  dust,  burying  the  two 
wicked  magicians  in  its  ruins. 

" There,  I  told  him  so!"  said  the  old  en- 
chanter. 

When  the  dog  and  the  cat  had  recovered  from 
the  events  of  the  day,  the  three  friends  began 
their  journey  back  to  the  palace  of  the  en- 
chanted King.  He  came  to  the  castle  gate  to 
meet  them,  for  Zidoc's  overthrow  had  broken 
the  spell  which  had  so  oddly  disfigured  him. 
Through  the  open  doors,  a  splendid  banquet 
could  be  seen  waiting,  and  the  sound  of  music 
was  heard. 

So  the  old  enchanter  gave  his  arm  to  the  Fairy 
Jocapa,  the  Prince  gave  his  to  the  white  dog, 

195 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK     i 

and  the  cat  followed  all  by  himself.  Then  came 
the  host  of  rejoicing  courtiers. 
When  the  festival  was  over,  the  enchanter  and 
the  wonderful  animals  went  back,  loaded  with 
royal  gifts,  to  their  own  little  house  and  lived 
happily  there  to  a  good  old  age. 


THE  SHEPHERD  OF 
CLOUDS 

Once  upon  a  time  a  young  husband  and  wife 
named  Giles  and  Phyllida  lived  in  a  cottage  in 
the  heart  of  a  great  plain.  League  upon  league, 
the  rich  land  fell  away  to  the  west,  there  to  end 
at  a  wall  of  high  mountains  into  whose  fast- 
nesses no  one  had  ever  ventured.  Yet  the 
mountains  were  very  beautiful.    In  the  cold  of 

197 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

a  clear  winter's  day,  the  snowy  summits  and 
rust-colored  pinnacles  shone  bright  and  near 
at  hand;  in  the  spring,  fogs  hid  them,  and  lay 
like  gray  mantles  upon  the  lower  slopes.  Mid- 
way in  the  mountain  wall,  a  wide  chasm  marked 
the  entrance  to  a  deep,  gloomy  valley,  out  of 
which  a  roaring  mountain  torrent  hurried,  to 
lose  itself  in  the  plain  below.  And  because 
somewhere  in  the  heart  of  this  dark  valley 
storms  were  brewed,  whose  dark  clouds,  laden 
with  lightning  and  hail,  poured  from  between 
the  crags  of  the  valley  out  over  the  land,  this 
valley  was  known  as  the  Valley  of  Thunder. 
According  to  an  old  legend,  out  of  this  valley 
a  king  should  one  day  come  to  rule  over  the 
people  of  the  plain. 

Giles  and  Phyllida  kept  house  by  themselves. 
They  had  two  cows,  one  red  and  white,  the 
other  black  and  white,  a  flock  of  hens,  some 
hives  of  bees,  a  white  horse,  a  dog,  and  a  cat. 
All  day  long  Phyllida  worked  happily  at  the 
household  tasks,  baking  the  sweet  white  bread 

198 


THE   SHEPHERD   OF  CLOUDS 

and  marking  the  fresh  golden  butter  into 
square  pats,  while  Giles  went  out  to  work  in 
the  waving  grain;  and  Phyllida,  watching  from 
a  window,  would  see  the  sun  flash  on  the  up- 
lifted blade  of  her  husband's  scythe. 

One  day  Phyllida  said  to  Giles: — 

'  I  have  made  a  dress  for  the  youngest  child 
of  our  cousins,  Jack  and  Jill,  and  this  morning 
I  shall  saddle  the  white  horse  and  ride  over  to 
their  cottage.  Perhaps  I  may  stay  with  them 
for  a  few  days.  You  will  find  a  fresh  baking  of 
bread  and  a  meat-pie  in  the  larder.  Good-bye, 
Giles;  I'll  soon  be  home  again." 

So  Giles  answered,  Good-bye,"  and  away 
rode  Phyllida  on  the  white  horse. 

A  few  days  passed,  and  Giles,  wandering  here 
and  there  through  the  quiet  house,  felt  very 
lonely  indeed.  Finally  he  could  stand  it  no 
longer,  and  said  to  himself,  "Phyllida  must  be 
on  her  way  home  now;  I  shall  walk  down  the 
highway  and  meet  her." 

So  he  turned  all  the  animals  loose  in  the 

199 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

fields,  and  putting  a  few  slices  of  bread  and 
cheese  in  his  pockets,  set  forth  upon  the  road. 
Leagues  ahead  of  him  stood  the  mysterious 
mountains  rising  palely  through  the  haze  of 
the  midsummer  afternoon.  A  pale  violet  light 
fell  on  their  distant  precipices,  and  the  snow  in 
the  rifts  upon  their  sides  appeared  of  the  purest 
and  loveliest  white.  Gusts  of  wind  hurrying 
from  the  distant  summits  swept  the  great  plain, 
and  the  fields  of  ripening  wheat  bent  before 
them  and  rustled  harshly. 

Suddenly,  down  the  throat  of  the  Thunder 
Valley,  Giles  saw  a  river  of  lightning  fall,  and 
from  far  away  came  a  low  murmur  of  thunder. 
Then,  faster  and  faster,  a  storm  poured  down 
the  chasm  like  a  flood,  drowning  out  the  light 
of  the  sun,  stilling  the  songs  of  the  little  birds, 
and  turning  to  the  sky  the  pale  underside  of 
the  leaves  of  the  roadside  trees.  A  darkness  as 
of  night  itself  covered  the  land.  Rain  began  to 
fall  in  great  spattering  drops.  Now,  by  the 
glare  of  the  lightning,  Giles  would  see  the  end- 

200 


THE   SHEPHERD   OF  CLOUDS 

less  fields,  drenched  and  waving  in  the  rain; 
now  the  Thunder  Valley  itself,  covered'  with  a 
floor  of  onrushing  cloud  unfolding,  turning, 
and  sinking  in  continuous  and  multitudinous 
activity. 

Night  came  on  amid  the  storm,  and  a  flash 
of  lightning  revealed  to  Giles  that  he  had  lost 
his  way.  Hoping  to  find  a  shelter  or  some 
friendly  cottage,  however,  he  plunged  on;  but 
the  road  became  worse  and  worse,  and  he  was 
again  and  again  forced  to  wade  brooks  flooded 
by  the  tempest.  At  length  his  steps  led  him 
into  a  pine  wood,  and  there  in  the  thickest  part 
he  found  a  little  shelter,  and  fell  asleep. 

When  he  woke,  numb,  cramped,  and  cold,  he 
found  to  his  horror  that  in  the  night  and  dark- 
ness he  had  blundered  on  into  the  Valley  of 
Thunder,  into  which  no  living  soul  had  ever 
before  advanced.  Worst  of  all,  he  could  not 
find  the  way  by  which  he  had  entered,  for  high 
crags  rose  on  every  side  and  held  him  prisoner. 
Presently,  to  his  amazement,  he  beheld  a  nar- 

201 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

row  flight  of  steps  cut  in  the  solid  rock  of  the 
mountainside.  Up  these  steps  climbed  Giles, 
and  as  he  mounted  higher,  the  stairs  began  to 
twist  and  turn  amid  the  crags  and  pinnacles. 
At  the  end  of  an  hour's  ascent,  he  found  him- 
self at  a  turn  from  which  the  Thunder  Valley, 
the  chasm  through  which  it  opened  into  the 
plain,  and  the  wide  plain  itself,  could  all  be 
seen. 

Giles  lingered  there  a  while,  trying  to  see  his 
own  cottage,  or  perhaps  Phyllida  on  her  white 
horse;  but  he  could  see  neither  one  nor  the 
other.  So  he  began  to  climb  again.  All  day 
long  he  climbed  and  climbed  and  climbed. 
Twilight  fell.  The  circle  of  the  sun  dropped 
below  the  level  horizon  of  the  distant  fields. 
One  still  golden  star  hung  on  the  fringe  of  the 
sun-glow.  The  stairs  began  to  widen,  and 
presently  Giles  found  himself  at  the  summit  of 
the  mountain.  Before  his  eyes  lay  a  little  level 
field  surrounded  by  strange  crags  and  pinna- 
cles, looming  tall  and  black  against  the  fast- 

202 


THE   SHEPHERD   OF  CLOUDS 

appearing  stars,  and  as  Giles  rubbed  his  eyes 
in  wonder,  lights  shone  here  and  there  in  the 
sides  of  the  towering  rocks,  even  as  lights  shine 
in  the  windows  of  a  village  when  you  see  it  from 
afar. 

Giles  rubbed  his  eyes  again.  Lights?  What 
could  they  mean?  Presently  a  great  door,  cut 
in  the  side  of  a  towering  mass  of  stone,  opened 
with  a  burst  of  light,  and  toward  Giles  there 
hurried  the  two  strangest  creatures  whom  he 
had  ever  seen.  These  were  two  elves,  alike  as 
two  peas  and  each  about  three  feet  tall.  In- 
stead of  having  ears  much  like  other  elves, 
however,  the  first  one  had  ears  like  great  curved 
cornucopias,  which  projected  almost  a  foot 
on  each  side  of  his  enormous  round  head, 
while  the  other,  whose  ears  were  quite  natural, 
had  but  one  huge  eye  in  the  centre  of  his  fore- 
head. 

Without  saying  a  single  word,  these  strange 
elves  seized  Giles  by  the  hands,  and  after  hur- 
rying him  across  the  open  space,  urged  him 

203 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

through  the  open  doors  into  the  house  in  the 
crags. 

Still  keeping  silence,  the  elves  led  Giles  through 
hundreds  of  splendid  rooms  and  great  halls,  all 
lighted  by  hanging  lamps  as  countless  in  num- 
ber as  the  leaves  upon  the  trees.  Suddenly,  a 
great  archway  rose  before  them,  through  which 
appeared  a  hall  larger  and  brighter  than  all 
the  others  seen  before.  At  one  end  of  it,  under 
a  canopy  of  rosy-gray,  stood  a  golden  throne, 
and  on  the  throne  sat  a  being  dressed  in  radiant 
blue — in  blue  such  as  the  sky  wears  after  a 
rain,  when  the  dark  clouds  with  bright  edges 
break  asunder  and  reveal  the  glory  overhead. 
At  the  same  moment,  the  countless  mountain 
elves  gathered  in  the  hall  began  to  sing: — 

"All  Hail,  All  Hail  to  the  Shepherd  of  Clouds, 

Who,  high  in  his  mountain-top,  rules  o'er  the 
weather; 
He  sends  the  rich  rain  over  mountain  and  plain, 
And    sprinkles    the    dew-drops    afar    o'er    the 
heather." 

The  elves  led  Giles  before  the  Shepherd. 

204 


THE  SHEPHERD  OF  CLOUDS 

How  comest  thou,  mortal,  to  invade  my 
mountain ?"  said  the  Shepherd. 
"I  went  forth  to  seek  Phyllida,"  said  Giles, 
and  lost  my  way  in  the  storm." 

What  sayest  thou,  Eye-o?"  said  the  Shep- 
herd to  the  elf  with  the  single  great  eye  in  his 
forehead. 

'The  mortal  speaks  the  truth,"  answered 
Eye-o  in  the  queerest,  squealiest  voice.  "  I  saw 
him  set  out  yesterday  from  his  cottage  on  the 
plain.  He  had  not  gone  far  when  the  storm 
which  Your  Mightiness  prepared  in  the  morn- 
ing and  sent  forth  in  the  afternoon  overtook 
him.  He  lost  his  way,  and  chance  led  him  to 
your  dwelling,  0  Shepherd  of  Clouds." 

'What  sayest  thou,  Ear-o?"  said  the  Shep- 
herd to  the  elf  with  the  great  ears. 

I  heard  him  say  good-bye  to  his  wife  Wednes- 
day last,"  replied  the  elf  in  a  voice  exactly  like 
that  of  his  brother.  Phyllida  said  to  him, 
'  You  will  find  a  fresh  baking  of  bread  and  a 
meat-pie  in  the  larder.' " 

205 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

The  Shepherd  of  Clouds  fixed  his  deep,  solemn 
gaze  upon  Giles  and  said: — 

"  Mortal,  I  have  hearkened  to  your  story  and 
to  the  words  of  my  faithful  Eye-o,  who  sees  all 
things  that  happen  in  the  whole  wide  world; 
I  have  paid  heed  to  the  words  of  Ear-o,  who 
hears  all  things  that  are  to  be  heard  under  the 
sun.  Chance  has  led  you  to  discover  the  secret 
of  the  weather.  Nevermore  must  you  revisit 
the  lower  world.  Here  shall  you  stay  till  Death 
overtakes  you.  Obey  me,  and  I  will  give  you 
happiness  and  honor;  seek  to  escape,  and  my 
lightnings  will  find  you  wheresoever  you  may 
hide." 

"Oh,  no!  no!  no!"  cried  poor  Giles,  throwing 
himself  down  before  the  throne.  " Great  Shep- 
herd of  Clouds,  do  not  keep  me  here.  Let  me 
return  to  my  cottage  on  the  plain,  to  Phyllida 
who  waits  for  me,  and  knows  not  whither  I  am 
gone  or  whether  I  am  living  or  dead.  Oh,  let 
me  go,  let  me  go!" 

But  the  Shepherd  only  shook  his  head  aus- 

206 


THE   SHEPHERD   OF  CLOUDS 

terely,  and  rising  from  his  throne, disappeared 
behind  the  rose-gray  curtains.  Again  the 
mountain  elves  sang,  and  as  they  sang,  the 
great  hall  slowly  grew  darker  than  the  darkest 
night,  and  cold  gusts  of  wind  arose  wailing  in 
the  darkness.  Presently  Giles  felt  his  body 
grow  weak,  strong  hands  seized  him  and  bore 
him  up,  and  an  instant  later  a  deep  sleep 
blotted  out  the  world. 

When  he  awoke,  he  found  himself  in  a  little 
room.  Dawn  was  at  hand,  and  the  sweet,  cold 
mountain  air  was  blowing  through  the  eastern 
window.  Suddenly,  the  door  swung  open,  and 
Eye-o  and  Ear-o  entered. 

"The  sun  is  rising,  Giles,"  said  Ear-o,  "and 
your  appointed  task  awaits  you.  The  Shep- 
herd wishes  the  clouds  released  at  once.  Hurry, 
hurry,  hurry,  Giles,  and  open  their  prison- 
door." 

So  Giles  went  forth  with  the  elves.  Over  the 
summit  of  the  mountain  they  ran,  along  a 
path  which  wandered  here  and  there — now 

207 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

dodging  between  huge  boulders,  now  skirting 
terrible  precipices.  Presently  Giles  saw  a  mon- 
strous wall  of  rock  rising  before  him,  in  which 
were  fixed  two  brazen  doors  taller  and  more 
stately  than  he  had  ever  seen  in  the  world 
below.  Beside  these  doors,  a  flight  of  steps 
began,  which  led  to  the  top  of  the  wall. 

Curious  to  see  what  lay  behind  the  wall  and 
the  closed  doors,  Giles  hurried  to  the  top.  He 
found  himself  standing  at  the  brink  of  a  great 
bowl,  many  miles  wide  and  many  miles  long, 
hollowed  out  of  the  very  rock  of  the  mountain- 
top.  Within  this  bowl,  like  a  giant  flock  of 
sheep,  lay  hundreds  of  clouds  on  whose  misty 
tops  the  rising  sun  poured  gold,  pale  lavender, 
and  rose.  At  first,  Giles  thought  them  mo- 
tionless, but  as  he  gazed  intently  within  the 
bowl,  he  saw  that  the  clouds  moved  and  swayed 
much  like  anchored  ships  in  a  tide. 

This  bowl  was  the  weather-bowl.  In  it  the 
Shepherd  of  Clouds  prepared  the  weather  for 
the  neighboring  countries.    One  day  he  would 

208 


THE  SHEPHERD   OF  CLOUDS 

keep  the  fair-weather  clouds  at  home  and  let 
the  rain-clouds  sail  over  the  land;  on  another 
day,  he  would  keep  all  the  clouds  in  and  let  the 
sun  shine;  on  other  days  he  would  mix  together 
such  frosts,  mists,  and  snow-flurries  as  the 
season  required. 

Suddenly,  ringing  infinitely  sweet  over  the 
mountain-top,  rose  the  clear  music  of  a  silver 
horn. 

"it  is  the  Shepherd!"  cried  Eye-o  and  Ear-o. 

The  hour  is  at  hand  to  send  the  clouds  over 
the  earth.    Quick,  Giles,  unbar  the  doors!" 

So  Giles  unbound  the  giant  doors,  which  of 
their  own  volition  opened  wide.  A  sound  as  of 
thunder  heard  from  far  away  over  the  sea  beat 
upon  Giles's  ear  as  the  portals  turned  upon 
their  hinges.  In  answer  to  this  sound,  the 
clouds  rose  and  lifted  their  golden  heads,  and 
hastening  to  the  brazen  doors,  one  by  one  es- 
caped through  them  to  the  sunlit  spaces  of 
the  morning  sky.  There,  they  formed  them- 
selves into  a  fleet,  and  sailed  majestically  away. 

209 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

Thus  Giles  became  the  servant  of  the  Shep- 
herd of  Clouds.  It  was  his  task  to  unbar  the 
door  when  the  Shepherd  had  prepared  the 
weather;  it  was  his  to  lock  the  clouds  in,  once 
they  had  returned  from  the  heavens  in  answer 
to  the  Shepherd's  summoning  horn.  In  time 
he  came  to  know  the  rain-clouds  from  their 
fair-weather  brothers;  he  learned  how  frosts 
were  sent  forth;  how  fogs  were  made;  and  he 
was  even  allowed  to  prepare  a  small  storm. 
He  saw  the  icy  caverns  in  which  the  hail-stones 
lie  piled  in  monstrous  bags,  the  lightning- 
bolts  in  their  crystal  jars,  and  even  the  prisoned 
storm-winds.  You  may  be  sure  that,  when 
he  could  so  arrange  it,  Phyllida's  garden  had 
quite  the  finest  variety  of  weather.  For  Eye-o 
and  Ear-o  would  tell  him  about  her. 

"Tell  me,  what  is  Phyllida  doing?"  Giles 
would  say  again  and  again. 

And  Eye-o  would  answer,  "  She  is  out  in  the 
garden  gathering  plums";  or,  "she  is  in  the 
kitchen  making  gingerbread." 

210 


THE   SHEPHERD   OF   CLOUDS 

And  then  Giles  would  say  to  Ear-o,  "  Tell  me, 
what  is  Phyllida  saying?" 

And  Ear-o  would  answer,  *'"  Oh,  would  that 
my  lad  were  home!' " 

Two  years  passed,  and  Giles,  who  had  found 
no  opportunity  of  escape,  began  to  lose  hope 
of  doing  so.  Never  again,  he  feared,  would  he 
see  Phyllida.  One  day,  with  Eye-o  and  Ear-o 
by  his  side,  he  sat  on  a  great  boulder  and  gazed 
gloomily  down  on  the  plain.  Spring  was  just 
ripening  into  early  summer,  the  plain  was  at 
its  very  greenest  and  loveliest,  and  here  and 
there  a  little  blue  wood-smoke  hung  over  the 
tiny  villages.  Giles  thought  of  Phyllida  far, 
far  away,  and  a  terrible  loneliness  poured  into 
his  heart.  Eye-o  and  Ear-o  sitting  beside  him, 
their  long,  strange  arms  clasped  about  their 
knees,  looked  on  with  sympathy.  Presently 
Ear-o' s  right  ear  turned  itself  about,  and  after 
a  moment's  silence,  the  elf  said: — 

"I  hear  voices  telling  of  war.  I  hear  the  Rob- 
ber King  of  the  Black  Lakes  summoning  his 

211 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

terrible  army.  He  is  preparing  a  secret  attack 
on  the  people  of  the  plain." 

"I  see  him!  I  see  him!"  cried  Eye-o.  "He  is 
talking  to  the  Grand  Chamberlain  Scelerato," 

1  Listen,"  said  Ear-o;  "he  is  saying,  'We  will 
sweep  the  land  at  dawn,  steal  the  grain,  and 
destroy  every  village  to  its  foundation.'  " 

"I  see  the  robbers  gathering,"  said  Eye-o. 
"They  are  hiding  in  the  dark  pine  forests,  lest 
they  be  seen  by  the  people  of  the  plain.  The 
sunlight  pierces  here  and  there  through  the 
thick  branches  and  shines  on  the  breastplates 
of  the  armed  men." 

At  this  terrible  news,  Giles  was  stricken  to 
the  heart  with  anxiety  and  fear.  What  was  to 
become  of  Phyllida  and  the  people  of  the  plain? 
If  he  could  only  hurry  down  the  mountain 
and  warn  them!  If  he  could  only  escape!  And 
he  looked  round  eagerly,  as  he  had  looked  a 
thousand  times  before,  for  any  avenue  of  escape; 
but  his  gaze  met  only  the  great  precipices  of 
the  mountain  and  the  guarded  stairs.    What 

212 


THE   SHEPHERD   OF  CLOUDS 

could  he  do?  His  heart  became  like  ice,  and 
he  feared  to  gaze  upon  the  plain  lest  he  see  the 
smoke  of  burning  villages.  All  night  long  he 
never  closed  his  eyes.  At  dawn  he  rose  and 
hurried  to  the  top  of  the  gate  which  overlooked 
the  cloud-bowl.  For  two  whole  weeks,  not  a 
cloud  had  been  allowed  to  roam  the  sky,  and 
it  seemed  to  Giles  that  the  mists  were  angry, 
and  that  a  darkness  brooded  upon  them.  Turn- 
ing toward  the  plain,  Giles  saw,  at  the  edge  of 
the  land,  a  little  glow  of  fire.  The  robbers 
had  invaded  the  plain! 

Presently  Eye-o  came  clambering  up  the  steps. 

"  I  see  a  village  in  flames, "  said  the  elf.  "  The 
inhabitants  are  fleeing  down  the  roads.  The 
news  is  spreading,  and  the  people  of  the  plain 
are  hurrying  to  seek  refuge  in  the  mountains." 

"Oh,  where  is  Phyllida?"  cried  Giles. 

"She  is  on  the  highway  with  Jack  and  Jill 
and  their  children,  hastening  toward  the  Valley 
of  Thunder,"  answered  the  elf. 

Suddenly  Giles  stood  up,  and  throwing  his 

213 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 


arms  high  over  his  head,  uttered  a  loud  shout. 
"I  can  save  them,"  he  cried.  "Let  us  send  a 
storm  against  the  robbers.  Hurry,  let  us  pre- 
pare the  worst  tempest  that  ever  was  seen." 

And  away  he  ran  to  the  hail-stone  caverns, 
and  carrying  bag  after  bag  to  the  brim,  emptied 
them  all  into  the  weather-bowl;  he  then  tossed 
in  a  dozen  skinsful  of  the  fiercest  storm-winds, 
and  ended  by  casting  in  all  the  jars  of  thunder- 
bolts that  were  to  be  found  in  the  cavern.  You 
should  have  heard  the  crash  of  the  crystal  vases 
on  the  rocky  floor  of  the  weather-bowl,  and  the 
hiss  with  which  the  lightning  escaped  and  hid 
in  the  rolling  edges  of  the  clouds.  The  great 
bowl  roared  and  trembled,  the  clouds  massed 
together  and  grew  dark;  lightning  played  over 
the  black  crests  of  the  thunder-heads.  From 
the  top  of  the  gate,  Giles  took  one  satisfied 
look  into  the  prisoned  tempest,  and  then  hur- 
ried down  to  unbar  the  door. 

Through  the  gates,  like  wild  herds,  poured 
the  clouds,  and  rising  in  the  air,  were  caught 

214 


THE   SHEPHERD   OF   CLOUDS 

by  the  spreading  storm-winds  and  whirled 
madly  over  the  sky.  The  thunder  roared  as  no 
mortal  had  ever  before  heard  it  or  ever  will 
hear  it  again,  and  the  tempest  sailed  away  to 
break  in  all  its  anger  over  the  heads  of  the  rob- 
ber army.  So  terrible  was  the  noise  that  the 
enchanted  mountain  trembled  to  its  very  foun- 
dations. 

Hearing  the  roar,  the  Shepherd  of  Clouds 
himself  was  roused  and  ran  down  to  the  cloud- 
bowl;  but  so  dark  was  the  mountain-top  that 
he  lost  his  way,  and  narrowly  missed  falling 
down  a  precipice.  The  mountain  elves,  terrified 
by  the  confusion,  ran  hither  and  thither  like 
ants  whose  nests  had  been  opened.  Crash  went 
the  thunder!  Rumble,  rumble,  rumble,  room, 
rrrr-rang  bang!  bang! 

Once  he  had  seen  the  storm  break  over  the 
robber  army,  Giles,  taking  advantage  of  the 
darkness,  noise,  and  confusion,  determined  to 
make  one  more  effort  to  escape.  Down  the 
endless  stairs  he  hurried,  splashing  through  the 

215 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

falling  rain,  down,  and  down,  and  down.  Once 
at  the  bottom,  he  was  lucky  enough  to  find  the 
path  out  of  the  chasm,  and  hurried  along  it  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Valley  of  Thunder. 

He  was  free!  The  terrible  storm  had  spent 
itself,  and  the  sun  was  beginning  to  shine  on 
the  thousand  rain-drops  caught  in  the  matted 
grass.  A  rainbow  formed  just  as  Giles  ap- 
proached the  plain,  and  the  little  birds  came 
out  to  shake  the  rain  from  their  feathers. 

Now,  in  the  secure  shelter  of  an  overhanging 
cliff,  were  to  be  found  those  people  of  the  plain 
who  had  fled  to  the  valley  for  refuge;  and  when 
these  poor  worried  folk  saw  Giles  coming  down 
the  valley,  they  recalled  the  prophecy  that  a 
king  should  come  to  them  out  of  the  valley, 
and  hailed  Giles  as  their  king.  Best  of  all, 
Phyllida  herself  ran  out,  and  threw  her  arms 
about  her  husband.  As  for  the  robbers,  the 
storm  had  overwhelmed  them  and  swept  them 
all  into  the  river.  There,  I  am  glad  to  say, 
they  turned  into  little  fishes. 

216 


THE   SHEPHERD   OF  CLOUDS 

When  the  Shepherd  of  Clouds  found  that 
Giles  had  escaped  after  making  all  this  dis- 
turbance, he  was  very  angry,  and  rushed  to  his 
lightning  closet  to  hurl  some  thunderbolts  at 
him.  When  he  got  to  the  closet,  however,  he 
found  that  Giles  had  used  every  single  bolt, 
and  that  the  cupboard  was  empty.  Conse- 
quently, he  had  to  wait  till  the  end  of  summer 
before  he  could  get  some  new  lightning,  and  by 
that  time,  he  was  so  busy  arranging  the  autumn 
frosts  that  he  quite  forgot  about  Giles. 

So  Giles  and  Phyllida  became  King  and 
Queen  of  the  people  of  the  plain  and  lived 
happily  ever  after. 


n.   'I  I 


THE  CITY  UNDER 
THE  SEA 

Once  upon  a  time,  in  a  country  of  mountains 
which  bordered  upon  the  sea,  dwelt  a  rich 
merchant  who  had  three  sons.  The  eldest  and 
the  second-born  were  his  joy,  for  they  were 
merchants  too,  and  remained  at  his  side;  but 
the  youngest  often  caused  him  much  anxiety. 
Not  that  this  youngest  son  was  a  wild  or  a  bad 

218 


THE   CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

lad;  but  love  of  the  sea  and  desire  for  adven- 
ture ran  like  fire  in  his  veins,  and  he  could 
not  bring  himself  to  sit  beside  his  father  and 
his  brothers  in  the  counting-house. 

Weary  at  length  of  the  constant  reproaches  of 
his  kinsmen,  he  turned  away  one  night  from 
his  father's  house  and  joined  a  ship  as  a  com- 
mon sailor.  Clad  in  sailor  blue,  wearing  a  lit- 
tle cap,  a  blouse  open  at  the  throat,  and  trou- 
sers cut  wide  at  the  bottoms,  the  runaway  lad 
sailed  over  the  sea  to  foreign  lands  and  isles. 
And  as  the  years  passed,  one  by  one,  and 
brought  no  tidings  of  him,  his  father  and  his 
brothers  gave  him  up  for  lost. 

Now  the  King  of  the  country  in  which  the 
rich  merchant  and  his  son  dwelt  loved  rare 
gems  and  precious  stones  more  than  anything 
else  in  the  world.  Hidden  secretly  away  in  the 
deep  foundations  of  his  castle  lay  his  treasure- 
room:  it  was  circular  in  shape  and  built  of 
black  marble,  and  at  equal  distance  one  from 
the  other,   along  the  curving  wall,   stood  a 

219 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

hundred  statues  of  armed  men,  holding  ever- 
burning lights.  A  hundred  coffers  of  green 
stone  lay  on  the  floor,  one  at  the  base  of  each 
statue,  each  coffer  piled  high  with  gems. 

Night  after  night,  when  all  was  still,  the  King 
would  descend  to  the  secret  chamber,  and 
throwing  open  the  covers  of  the  jewel-chests, 
would  gaze  long  and  silently  into  the  gleaming 
mass  within. 

One  night  the  King  led  his  neighbor,  the 
Emperor  of  the  Seven  Isles,  to  the  jewel-room, 
and  showed  him  his  treasures. 

"Are  there  fairer  jewels  to  be  found  in  the 
whole  wide  world?"  said  the  King  proudly. 

"They  are  indeed  noble,"  replied  the  Em- 
peror, nodding  his  gray  head.  "But  how  hap- 
pens it  that  the  Emerald  of  the  Sea  is  not 
among  them?  The  Emerald  of  the  Sea  is  the 
most  glorious  jewel  in  the  whole  wide  world. 
Years  ago  a  fisherman  of  the  Land  of  the  Dawn 
found  it  in  a  strangely  carved  box  which  a 
storm  had  washed  into  his  nets.    I  saw  it  when 

220 


THE   CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

I  was  but  a  young  prince;  it  hung  by  a  chain 
from  the  throat  of  the  Princess  of  the  Dawn, 
and  shone  there  as  if  the  very  secret  of  the  sea 
were  hidden  in  its  heart. " 

" Where  is  this  emerald  to  be  found?"  asked 
the  King,  who  was  consumed  with  the  desire 
to  add  the  jewel  to  his  possessions.  "Tell  me, 
that  I  may  at  once  send  an  expedition  in  search 
of  it." 

" I  have  not  heard  of  it  for  many  a  long  year," 
replied  the  Emperor,  "but  I  think  it  is  still  in 
the  Land  of  the  Dawn." 

So  great  was  the  King's  impatience  to  become 
the  owner  of  the  Emerald  of  the  Sea,  that  he 
could  scarcely  wait  for  the  morning.  All  night 
long  he  slept  not  a  wink  for  thinking  of  it,  and 
hardly  had  the  red  shield  of  the  morning  sun 
risen  above  the  thin  mists  lying  at  the  edge 
of  the  sea  and  sky,  when  he  sent  for  the  rich 
merchant  to  come  to  the  palace  at  once. 

Wondering  much  at  the  summons,  the  mer- 
chant made  haste  to  the  palace,  and  was  there 

221 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

taken  instantly  before  the  King.  When  the 
King  saw  him,  he  said: — 

/'You  are  the  greatest  and  richest  merchant 
in  my  dominions.  Know,  then,  that  I  have  a 
task  worthy  of  you.  In  the  Land  of  the  Dawn 
there  is  a  jewel  called  the  Emerald  of  the  Sea; 
it  is  your  task  to  discover  it  and  purchase  it 
for  me.  To  possess  it,  I  would  give  all  the  gold 
in  my  realm.  Take  heed  that  you  return  with 
it,  for  if  you  fail  me,  my  anger  shall  strike  you 
down." 

At  these  words  the  merchant  bowed  low,  and 
replied  that  he  would  that  very  day  sail  for  the 
Land  of  the  Dawn  in  his  fastest  ship.  Then, 
returning  home,  he  gave  orders  that  the  best 
vessel  in  all  his  fleets  be  immediately  prepared 
for  the  journey;  and  so  swiftly  was  this  done, 
that  the  merchant  sailed  for  the  Land  of  the 
Dawn  on  the  morning  tide. 

Many  days  and  many  leagues  he  sailed,  over 
shining  seas,  till  he  reached  the  harbor  of  the 
Land  of  the  Dawn.    Ships  were  entering  and 

222 


THE  CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

ships  were  leaving  the  lovely  mountain-circled 
bay.  How  the  broad  sails  tugged  at  their 
ropes  as  a  steady  wind  filled  their  curving  white 
depths!  How  silver-clear  shone  the  furrows  of 
foam  flowing  back  from  the  onward-hurrying 
bows! 

Making  her  way  out  toward  the  great,  still 
mirror  of  the  summer  sea,  was  a  strange  black 
vessel,  with  sails  as  red  as  fire. 

The  merchant  anchored  his  ship  in  a  quiet  bay, 
and  hastened  ashore  to  find  the  Lord  Treas- 
urer of  the  Kingdom.  He  found  this  nobleman 
at  ease  on  a  balcony  of  his  castle  which  over- 
looked the  sea.  Upon  hearing  the  merchant's 
story,  the  nobleman  started  with  surprise,  and 
said: — 

'  You  are  just  too  late!  At  the  command  of 
my  royal  master,  the  Prince  of  the  Land  of  the 
Dawn,  I  sold  the  Emerald  of  the  Sea  only  an 
hour  ago  to  the  master  of  a  strange  vessel.  See, 
there  she  is  now."  And  the  Lord  Treasurer 
pointed  out  over  the  sea  to  the  black  ship  with 

223 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

the  red  sails,  which  was  just  then  disappearing 
over  the  horizon. 

Thankful  that  the  other  ship  was  still  in 
sight,  the  merchant  hurried  back  to  his  own 
vessel  and  gave  chase.  Luckily  for  him,  there 
was  a  full  moon  that  night,  by  which  the 
shadowy  hulk  and  the  swaying  masts  of  the 
mysterious  ship  could  be  seen. 

All  the  next  day  they  sailed,  but  never  an 
inch  nearer  to  the  other  vessel  did  they  come, 
though  the  merchant  loaded  his  ship  with  all 
the  canvas  she  could  bear.  Another  night  and 
another  day  found  them  no  nearer.  Finally, 
late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day,  a  great 
storm  came  sailing  over  the  edge  of  the  sea;  a 
blast  of  wind  struck  the  merchant's  ship,  then 
a  torrent  of  rain,  and  night  came  on  just  as 
the  storm  was  at  its  height. 

When  the  daylight  came  again,  the  other  ship 
had  completely  disappeared;  and  though  the 
worried  merchant  sailed  here  and  sailed  there, 
never  a  sign  of  the  stranger  could  he  find.   At 

224 


THE   CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

last,  with  a  heavy  heart,  he  gave  up  the  quest 
and  returned  to  his  King  with  the  evil  tidings. 

The  King,  I  hardly  need  say,  was  beside  him- 
self with  rage  and  disappointment.  Scowling 
so  terribly  that  his  eyebrows  almost  met,  he 
cried  to  the  merchant: — 

"  Wretch,  through  you  I  have  lost  the  finest 
jewel  in  the  world!  If  you  do  not  find  it  within 
a  year,  your  life  and  your  possessions  shall  be 
forfeited  to  me." 

On  hearing  these  terrible  words,  the  merchant 
turned  pale,  for  he  had  no  more  idea  where  the 
Emerald  of  the  Sea  was  to  be  found  than  had 
a  new-born  child.  His  two  sons,  however,  when 
they  had  heard  his  story,  bade  him  not  to  de- 
spair, and  declared  that  they  would  that  very 
night  go  forth  and  seek  the  emerald  through 
the  world. 

Now,  because  the  poor  merchant  could  not 
bear  to  be  left  quite  alone,  it  was  finally  agreed 
that  only  the  eldest  son  should  go  in  search  of 
the  jewel,  while  the  second-born  should  remain 

225 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

at  home.  This,  of  course,  was  much  against 
the  will  of  the  second  son;  nevertheless,  so  it 
was  arranged. 

And  so  the  eldest  son  sailed  away.  The  days 
lengthened  into  weeks,  the  weeks  into  months, 
the  months  into  a  year,  yet  the  eldest  son  did 
not  return.  A  guard  of  soldiers  led  the  un- 
happy merchant  before  the  King. 

4 'Well,  have  you  found  the  Emerald  of  the 
Sea?"  said  the  King. 

"No,"  replied  the  merchant,  hopelessly. 

And  now  all  would  certainly  have  been  over 
with  the  poor  merchant,  had  not  his  second 
son  begged  and  pleaded  with  the  King  for  a 
year  of  respite  in  which  he,  too,  might  search 
for  the  emerald  through  the  world.  Though 
at  first  unwilling,  the  King  at  length  yielded  to 
the  plea,  but  exacted  one  half  of  the  merchant's 
possessions  as  a  forfeit. 

And  so  the  second  son  sailed  away.  Days 
lengthened  into  weeks,  weeks  lengthened  into 
months,  the  months  into  a  year,  yet  the  second 

226 


THE   CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

son  did  not  return.  Cruel  storms  wrecked  so 
many  of  the  merchant's  ships  that  he  lost  the 
other  half  of  his  possessions,  and  was  forced 
to  take  refuge  in  a  miserable  cottage  by  the 
marshes  beyond  the  town. 

On  the  last  night  of  the  year  granted  to  him 
by  the  King,  the  unhappy  man  sat  in  his  poor 
house  by  a  crumbling  driftwood  fire,  listening 
to  the  surf  breaking  on  the  beach  that  edged 
the  marsh.  Far  away,  he  heard  the  bells  of  the 
royal  city  sound  the  midnight  hour.  Neither 
the  eldest  son  nor  the  second-born  had  re- 
turned. The  second  year  of  respite  was  at  an 
end;  nothing  now  could  stay  the  anger  of  the 
King. 

Suddenly  there  came  a  vigorous  rat-tat-tat 
on  the  door. 

"I  am  lost,"  murmured  the  poor  merchant  to 
himself.  "The  King's  soldiers  are  already  at 
the  door."  And  advancing  unsteadily  across 
the  room,  he  threw  the  door  open  wide. 

A  gust  of  wind  from  the  sea  blew  in,  which 

227 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

bent  back  the  flame  of  the  taper  in  his  hand, 
and  then  across  the  threshold  stepped  the 
youngest  son.  He  was  still  a  sailor  and  clad  in 
sailor  blue,  and  there  was  a  cutlass  in  his  belt. 
So  shaken  with  joy  was  the  merchant  that  for 
some  time  he  could  not  utter  a  word,  but 
merely  clung  to  the  strong  shoulders  of  the 
young  seaman. 

As  for  the  sailor  son,  he  managed  to  let  his 
father  know  that  he  had  returned  from  distant 
lands  only  that  very  evening,  and  had  just 
heard  of  the  disasters  which  had  overtaken  his 
family. 

As  they  talked,  steps  were  heard  outside;  and 
then,  without  waiting  to  knock,  a  sergeant  of 
the  King's  guard  forced  open  the  door,  and, 
followed  by  a  handful  of  soldiers,  entered  the 
wretched  room  and  took  the  merchant  and  his 
son  prisoners.  They  spent  the  night  on  the 
straw  in  the  royal  dungeons,  and  in  the  morn- 
ing were  led  before  the  King. 

On  seeing  the  merchant,  the  irate  King  scowled 

228 


THE   CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

more  angrily  than  ever, —  for  the  loss  of  the 
Emerald  of  the  Sea  had  never  ceased  from 
troubling  him, —  and  said: — 

"Well,  have  you  found  the  Emerald  of  the 
Sea?" 
'No/'  said  the  poor  merchant. 

"Summon  the  executioner!"  cried  the  King. 

And  now  the  poor  man  would  certainly  have 
bade  farewell  to  earth,  had  not  the  youngest 
son,  like  his  brothers,  interceded  with  the  King. 

At  first  the  King  would  hear  not  a  word  of 
it,  and  called  to  his  guard  to  take  the  pris- 
oners instantly  away;  but  it  being  whispered 
that  the  sailor,  although  not  much  more  than 
a  lad,  had  once  fought  bravely  and  been  sorely 
wounded  in  the  royal  service,  he  at  length  gave 
ear  to  the  youngest  son's  prayer  and  said:  — 

uYes,  you  shall  have  another  year.  But 
know  that  this  year  shall  be  the  last.  If  you 
do  not  return  with  the  Emerald  of  the  Sea 
within  a  twelvemonth,  nothing  shall  save  you. 
I  have  spoken." 

229 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

And  thus  the  sailor  son  went  in  search  of  the 
Emerald.  What  happened  to  him  upon  his 
search,  in  what  situation  he  discovered  his 
brothers,  and  how  he  visited  the  City  under  the 
Sea,  you  shall  shortly  hear. 


Now  the  youngest  son  had  a  little  boat  of  his 
own.  It  was  so  small  that,  when  the  wind  no 
longer  filled  its  sails,  it  could  be  rowed  along, 
and  in  this  boat  the  sailor  lad  began  his  voy- 
age. From  harbor  to  harbor,  from  nation  to 
nation,  he  sailed,  but  never  a  soul  he  found 
who  could  tell  him  aught  of  the  strange  black 
ship  with  the  fiery  sails  or  the  lost  Emerald  of 
the  Sea.  Even  the  people  of  the  Land  of  the 
Dawn  could  tell  him  only  that  the  gem  had 
been  sold  to  an  unknown  prince. 

Presently  the  winter  of  the  year  overtook  him, 
and  in  one  of  the  sudden  storms  that  heralded 

230 


THE  CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

the  coming  of  the  cold,  his  little  boat  went 
ashore  on  a  rocky  coast,  and  was  soon  pounded 
to  pieces  by  the  breakers.  Thrown  into  the 
sea  during  the  wreck,  the  sailor  was  himself 
so  tossed  and  trampled  by  the  waves  that  he 
reached  the  shore  far  more  dead  than  alive. 
Indeed,  had  it  not  been  for  a  poor  fisherman 
and  his  wife,  there  would  have  been  no  more 
story  to  tell.  These  good  people,  I  am  glad  to 
say,  rescued  the  sailor  from  the  fury  of  the 
waters  and  nursed  him  back  to  health  and 
strength  again 

When  his  strength  was  quite  restored,  the 
sailor  told  this  good  couple  the  story  of  how 
he  had  gone  forth  to  seek  through  the  wide 
world  the  Emerald  of  the  Sea. 

"But  my  poor  lad,"  said  the  kind  fisherman, 
"the  Emerald  of  the  Sea  has  vanished  forever 
from  mortal  eyes." 

"What!  You  know  of  the  emerald?"  cried 
the  sailor. 

"Alas,  yes,"  replied  the  fisherman.     "Two 

231 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

years  ago  the  Prince  of  the  Unknown  Isles  sent 
the  finest  vessel  in  his  fleet  to  the  Land  of  the 
Dawn  to  buy  the  jewel.  A  beautiful  ship  was 
she,11  with  a  hull  as  black  as  night  and  sails  as 
red  as  fire.  My  brother  and  I  sailed  in  her  crew. 
The  jewel  was  taken  aboard.  Our  brave  ship 
set  sail  for  the  Unknown  Isles.  Hardly  were 
we  three  days  out  of  the  sight  of  land,  when 
a  storm  overtook  us  and  sank  the  vessel.  I 
chanced  to  be  tossed  in  the  water  near  a  great 
fragment  of  the  mast,  and  clung  to  this  until 
a  passing  vessel  found  me.  Of  all  aboard,  I 
alone  survived.  Forty  fathoms  deep  lies  the 
Emerald  of  the  Sea,  never  more  to  be  seen  but 
by  the  dumb  creatures  of  the  waters. " 

At  these  tidings  the  brave  sailor's  heart  be- 
came like  ice;  nevertheless,  he  cried:  — 

"Alas,  good  friend,  I  know  that  what  you  say 
is  true,  yet  shall  I  not  despair;  for,  come  what 
will,  I  must  save  my  father !" 

Hearing  this,  the  fisherman's  wife,  a  quiet, 
good  body  who  had  had  little  to  say,  whispered 

232 


THE   CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

that  it  would  be  well  first  to  consult  the  Witch 
of  the  Sands. 

"The  Witch  of  the  Sands?  Who  is  she  and 
where  can  I  find  her?"  cried  the  sailor. 

"The  Witch  of  the  Sands  dwells  a  hundred 
leagues  from  here/'  replied  the  fisherman's 
wife.  "All  the  mysteries  of  the  waters  are  in 
her  keeping  and  she  has  an  answer  for  them  all. 
You  must  go  to  her  and  ask  her  to  help  you." 

So  the  sailor  thanked  the  good  fisherman  and 
his  wife,  and  set  out  to  walk  the  hundred  leagues 
to  the  house  of  the  Witch  of  the  Sands.  His 
path  lay  along  a  desolate  and  lonely  shore,  on 
whose  rocky  beaches  the  wooden  bones  of  old 
wrecks  lay  rotting,  half  buried  in  stones  and 
weed.  Just  as  the  third  day's  sun  was  sinking 
in  the  shining  waters,  the  sailor  arrived  at  the 
Witch's  dwelling. 

The  Witch  made  her  home  in  a  deserted  old 
ship,  which  a  storm  of  long  ago  had  cast  far  up 
the  sands.  As  for  the  Witch  herself,  she  was  a 
woman  so  old  that  the  sailor  thought  she  surely 

233 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

must  have  been  living  when  the  moon  and  the 
stars  were  made.  A  fringe  of  sea-shells  circled 
the  crown  of  her  high  hat,  and  round  her  wrists 
were  bracelets  of  pearly  periwinkles. 

Just  as  the  sailor  approached  the  Witch's 
door,  a  young  fur  seal,  who  had  been  basking 
in  a  little  pool  left  along  the  beach  by  the  tide, 
hastened  out  of  his  puddle,  and  running  swiftly 
toward  him  on  his  flappers,  nuzzled  his  hand 
with  his  sleek,  wet  head,  just  like  a  young  dog. 

"Down,  Neptune,  down!"  cried  the  witch 
shrilly. 

"Good  evening,  madam,"  said  the  sailor  in 
his  politest  manner. 

1  You  are  the  third  person  who  has  come  here 
to  ask  me  the  question  you  are  going  to  ask," 
screamed  the  Witch  of  the  Sands,  whose  magic 
powers  had  revealed  to  her  the  reason  of  the 
sailor's  coming.  "I  know  you!  You  are  the 
youngest  son.  Your  two  brothers  have  been 
here  to  ask  me  the  way  under  the  sea,  and  I 
told  them;  but  bless  me,  they  have  n't  come 

234 


THE   CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

back  yet.  Just  like  young  men  to  forget  an 
old  woman's  warning.  I  've  a  good  mind  not 
to  tell  you  the  way  to  the  under- waters;  indeed, 
I  would  n't  if  you  were  n't  a  sailor  and  a  child 
of  the  sea.  Yes,  I  can  show  you  the  road  to 
under  the  sea;  but  you  must  not  ask  me  about 
the  emerald,  because  I  don't  know  where  it  is 
myself.  It  was  in  the  Land  of  the  Dawn,  and 
that 's  the  last  I  heard  of  it!  When  you  do  get 
to  the  under-waters,  don't  forget  that.  You  '11 
have  to  hurry  back  like  the  wind,  for  the  year 
which  the  King  gave  your  father  is  almost 
gone.  Don't  ask  me  questions!  I  know  you 
are  going  to  ask  one,  because  I  'm  not  a  man; 
and  I  know  what  you  are  going  to  ask,  because 
I  'ma  witch." 

And  the  strange  old  lady  laughed  and,  putting 
her  hands  on  her  waist,  swayed  so  violently 
from  side  to  side  that  the  sea-shells  on  her  hat 
rattled  and  clicked.  Then,  after  a  pause  to 
gather  breath,  she  continued:  ''Before  you  can 
go  down  into  the  waters,  I  shall  have  to  give 

235 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

you  an  enchanted  ring.  Mind  you  bring  it 
back,  for  there  are  only  three  of  them  in  the 
whole  wide  world,  and  your  brothers  have  the 
other  two.  Goodness  me,  but  I  don't  know 
why  I  let  them  take  my  magic  rings.  Now 
that  I  come  to  think  of  it,  I  don't  know  as  I 
shall  let  you  take  my  ring.  However,  it  has 
been  on  my  mind  for  some  time  to  tell  the 
King  of  the  City  under  the  Sea  that  he's  been 
telling  the  tide  to  come  altogether  too  near 
my  ship.  You  can  take  the  ring  if  you  will 
promise  to  deliver  my  message.   Promise!" 

There  was  a  pause,  and  the  sailor,  who  had 
listened  to  the  Witch's  every  word,  solemnly 
promised  to  carry  her  message  to  the  King 
under  the  Sea.  He  was  just  about  to  ask  a 
question  or  two,  when  the  Witch  of  the  Sands, 
drawing  another  long,  long  breath,  cried  out 
again: — 

" Don't  ask  questions!  I  've  told  you  once 
and  I've  told  you  twice,  and  I  '11  tell  you  as 
many  times  as  there  are  drops  of  water  in  the 

236 


THE   CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

sea !  The  path  to  the  City  under  the  Sea  begins 
a  hundred  leagues  to  the  north;  in  the  high 
cliffs  there,  when  the  tide  is  low,  you  '11  find  the 
mouth  of  a  great  cave;  walk  down  this  cave, 
and  down  and  down  and  down,  till  you  feel 
water  rising  round  your  feet.  Then  put  on  my 
ring  and  walk  boldly  ahead.  In  a  little  while 
you  will  see  the  city  shining  in  the  waters. 
Once  there,  seek  out  the  King  and  tell  him  of 
your  quest.  But  on  no  account'7  (and  here 
the  Witch  solemnly  turned  round  three  times) 
"eat  or  drink  anything  offered  to  you  while 
you  are  in  the  under- waters.  If  you  do,  you 
will  forget  everything  of  your  past  life,  your 
father,  your  quest,  and  the  Emerald  of  the  Sea. 
Let  one  drop  pass  your  lips,  and  you  will  spend 
the  rest  of  your  life  under  the  waves.  Here  is 
the  enchanted  ring.    Put  it  in  your  pocket." 

With  these  words,  the  Witch  took  from  a  little 
leather  purse  a  simple  golden  ring  and  handed 
it  to  the  youngest  son,  who  put  the  ring  in  his 
pocket,  thanked  the  Witch,  and  set  off  for  the 

237 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

cavern  which  led  to  the  City  under  the  Sea. 
You  may  be  sure  it  did  not  take  him  very 
long  to  find  it.  After  feeling  carefully  in  his 
pocket  to  see  if  the  ring  was  still  safe,  the  sailor 
plunged  on  into  the  winding  cave.  In  a  short 
time,  the  roar  of  the  breakers  on  the  beach, 
which  had  been  loud  at  the  mouth  of  the  cav- 
ern, began  to  fade  and  grow  faint,  and  the 
tunnel  grew  dark  and  cold.  Feeling  for  the 
wall  of  the  passage  with  one  hand,  the  youngest 
son  advanced  into  the  blackness.  Creatures  of 
the  sea,  with  round  shining  eyes,  stared  at  him 
from  shallow  pools,  and  now  and  then  his  hand, 
running  along  the  wall,  would  touch  and  shake 
from  its  ph  ce  a  starfish  or  great  snail. 

Down  anu  down  and  down  went  the  sailor. 
Presently  he  heard  the  lapping  of  wavelets  in 
the  darkness,  and  a  few  minutes  after,  he  felt 
himself  advancing  into  deepening  water.  Stop- 
ping for  an  instant,  he  put  on  the  golden  ring. 
Then,  walking  on  again,  he  felt  the  water  rise 
from  his  ankles  to  his  waist,  and  from  his  waist 

238 


THE   CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

to  his  throat.  One  step  more,  and  the  water 
closed  over  his  head. 

Once  under  the  waves,  the  sailor  hesitated, 
uncertain  as  to  which  way  to  turn.  Little  by 
little,  however,  his  eyes  grew  accustomed  to 
the  touch  of  the  water,  and  he  saw,  lying  on 
the  bottom  a  few  feet  ahead  of  him,  a  small 
ball  glowing  with  a  pale  phosphorescent  light. 
Stooping  to  touch  this  strange  object,  the  sailor 
discovered  it  to  be  a  small  round  sea-plant 
which  had  anchored  itself  to  a  stone,  and  pres- 
ently he  discovered  that  this  light  was  but  one 
of  thousands  which  together  formed  a  long 
straight  line  across  the  level  floor  of  the  sea. 
Rightly  imagining  these  lights  to  }©  signs  of  a 
sea-world  road,  the  sailor  advanced  nlong  them. 
A  slow  walk  of  ten  long  leagues  brought  him  to 
the  gate  of  the  City  under  the  Sea. 

There  was  very  little  light  there,  save  for  that 
which  came  through  the  waters  from  the  world 
above,  and  this  was  but  a  faint,  pale  green 
glow,  which  lay,  more  like  a  shadow  than  a  light 

239 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

on  the  roofs  and  tower-tops  of  the  submerged 
town. 

The  sailor  walked  unchallenged  through  the 
gate,  and  found  himself  in  the  great  street  of 
the  city.  Along  the  broad  avenue  grew  giant 
sea-plants  with  brown  leaves,  set  out  in  rows 
like  trees;  and  through  the  foliage  which  moved 
heavily  in  the  currents,  little  fish  darted  like 
birds.  Many  people  walked  slowly  to  and 
fro — strange  people  of  the  sea,  all  dressed  alike 
in  tight-fitting  garments  of  shining,  fish-like 
scales. 

The  sailor  looked  into  their  faces  and  saw  that 
a  broad  golden  ring  encircled  the  pupils  of 
their  eyes.  Suddenly  two  men  of  the  sea,  dis- 
tinguished from  the  others  by  swords  of  red 
stone,  moved  through  the  water,  and  seizing 
the  sailor  in  their  webbed  hands,  hurried  him 
before  the  King  of  the  Under- Waters. 

On  a  coral  throne,  in  a  great  hall  roofed  with 
a  high  circular  dome,  sat  the  King.  The  flow- 
ing waters  within  were  bright,  and  a  queer, 

240 


THE   CITY  UNDER   THE   SEA 

pale  green  light  pierced  through  the  hall  from 
a  kind  of  fountain  of  light  in  the  centre  of  the 
floor  under  the  dome.  Approaching  this  shin- 
ing fountain,  the  sailor  discovered  it  to  be  a 
mass  of  glowing  sea-creatures,  living  flowers 
of  the  deep,  which,  even  as  he  looked,  stirred 
their  mysterious  petals. 

"  Welcome,  Wearer  of  the  Enchanted  Ring, " 
said  the  King,  staring  hard  at  the  sailor  with 
his  large  golden  eyes.  '  You  come  at  a  fortu- 
nate time.  This  very  evening  we  celebrate  the 
wedding  of  the  second  of  my  three  daughters 
with  the  mortal  wearer  of  the  second  ring. 
Stand  you  upon  the  steps  of  the  throne,  for 
they  are  coming  at  once.  Let  the  trumpets 
sound!" 

At  this  command,  two  youths  of  the  sea  lifted 
huge  conch-shells  to  their  mouths  and  sounded 
them. 

Great  doors  instantly  opened  wide,  and  a 
gorgeous  procession  entered.  First,  appeared 
a  dozen  pages;  then,  in  walked  the  Sea  King's 

241 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

second  daughter,  hand  in  hand  with  a  merry 
young  man,  in  whom  the  sailor  recognized  his 
second  oldest  brother. 

Presently  the  conch-shells  sounded  again. 

"The  Prince  and  the  Princess!"  cried  a  voice. 

The  King  leaned  over  from  his  throne  and 
whispered  in  the  sailor's  ear: — 

"My  eldest  daughter  and  her  husband .  They 
were  married  just  a  year  ago.  The  Prince  is  a 
youth  of  the  world  above,  and  wears  the  first 
of  the  enchanted  rings." 

Now  entered  the  eldest  Princess  of  the  Sea, 
walking  by  the  side  of  her  husband.  And  in 
the  husband  the  young  sailor  beheld  the  elder 
of  his  two  brothers.  And  though  the  young 
sailor  stretched  out  his  arms  to  them,  neither 
of  his  brothers  remembered  him,  for  while  faint 
and  hungry,  they  had  forgotten  the  warning  of 
the  Witch  of  the  Sands  and  had  eaten  of  the 
bread  of  the  under- world.  Thus  had  the  mem- 
ory of  the  world  above,  the  lost  emerald,  and 
their  father's  plight  faded  away. 

242 


THE  CITY  UNDER  THE  SEA 

The  conches  sounded  a  third  time. 

"Come  to  the  wedding  banquet,"  cried  the 
King.  "You  shall  sit  beside  my  youngest 
daughter." 

And  now  the  sailor  lad,  willy  nilly,  was  hurried 
into  the  banquet  hall,  and  seated  at  the  royal 
table  beside  the  King's  youngest  daughter. 
And  she  was  quite  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the 
three.  Noticing  that  the  youngest  son  touched 
no  food,  she  said  to  him: — 

"Why  do  you  refuse  to  taste  of  the  wedding 
banquet?" 

"Princess,"  replied  the  sailor,  I  have  come 
to  the  Under-Waters  to  seek  the  Emerald  of  the 
Sea;  for  if  I  return  to  my  own  country  without 
it,  my  father's  life  will  be  forfeited.  Would 
you  have  me  forget?" 

"But  you  will  never  find  the  Emerald  of  the 
Sea!"  cried  the  Princess. 

"Never  find  the  Emerald  of  the  Sea!  What 
do  you  mean?"  said  the  sailor  anxiously. 

"The  Emerald  of  the  Sea  has  disappeared," 

243 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY   BOOK 

continued  the  little  Princess,  fixing  the  sailor 
with  her  golden  eyes.  '  Years  ago  it  was  stolen 
from  my  father's  treasury  by  a  wicked  Prince 
of  the  Under- Waters.  My  father  pursued  him 
and  overthrew  him,  but  in  the  struggle  the 
emerald  was  lost,  and  rising  to  the  surface, 
drifted  to  the  shores  of  the  Land  of  the  Dawn. 
There  it  remained  till  the  Prince  of  the  Un- 
known Isles  purchased  it  and  took  it  away  in 
his  black  ship.  This  ship,  overcome  by  a  storm, 
sank;  but  where  it  lies  we  know  not,  though  we 
have  searched  far  and  wide  through  the  waters. 
Whosoever  finds  it  shall  be  master  of  the  land 
under  the  sea,  for  the  emerald  is  master  of  us 
all.  My  father  will  not  lift  a  finger  to  help  you 
find  it;  indeed,  if  he  knows  that  you  are  in 
search  of  it,  he  will  force  you  to  eat  of  the  bread 
of  the  under-waters.  Say  nothing,  therefore, 
of  your  quest." 

At  these  words,  the  brave  sailor's  heart  sank 
very  low.  Mindful  of  the  Witch's  warning,  he 
dared  touch  no  morsel  of  food,  yet  he  knew  that 

244 


THE   CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

hunger  would  soon  bring  weakness  in  its  train. 
Either  he  must  find  the  emerald  at  once,  or 
he  must  abandon  all  hope  of  finding  it.  He 
could  not  live  long  if  he  touched  no  food,  and 
if  but  one  morsel  touched  his  lips  he  would 
forget  the  upper  world. 

Far  away,  the  poor  merchant,  whom  the  King 
had  now  cast  in  prison,  watched  the  days  pass 
one  by  one,  and  the  last  year  approach  its  end. 
Every  morning  he  would  ask  for  tidings  of  his 
sailor  son,  and  ask  in  vain. 

Now,  when  the  wedding  banquet  was  over, 
and  the  ball  which  followed  was  at  its  height, 
the  eldest  of  the  princesses  called  her  sister,  the 
bride,  aside  and  said  to  her: — 

uWe  must  rid  ourselves  at  once  of  this  new- 
comer. Do  you  not  see  that  he  is  the  younger 
brother  of  our  husbands  ?  I  beheld  him  stretch 
out  his  arms  to  them  as  they  passed.  Who  can 
tell  but  that  he  may  lead  them  away  from  us? 

245 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

Let  us  tell  our  servants  to  lie  in  wait  for  him 
and  deliver  us  from  such  a  danger." 

So  said  the  eldest  sister,  of  the  golden  eyes. 
Alas,  I  fear  that  the  people  of  the  under-waters 
are  sometimes  quite  as  shocking  as  those  of  the 
world  above. 

Later  that  evening,  just  as  the  poor  sailor  was 
standing  by  one  of  the  great  doors,  a  dozen  or 
so  stout  rogues  in  the  service  of  the  eldest  sis- 
ter fell  upon  him,  bound  him  with  cords,  and 
dragged  him  through  the  water  to  the  royal 
stables. 

Now  the  people  of  the  under-waters,  having 
no  horses, —  for  sea  horses  are  but  tiny  creat- 
ures,— had  tamed  great  dolphins  to  carry  them 
about.  A  hundred  of  these  monsters,  each 
with  a  bronze  ring  in  his  nose,  were  ranged  along 
the  sides  of  the  stables,  and  on  the  fiercest  and 
angriest  of  them  all,  the  Princess's  servants 
tied  the  sailor.  How  the  great  fish,  fastened  to 
a  bar  by  a  chain  and  his  nose-ring,  pulled, 
rolled,  swerved  aside,  and  thrashed  his  tail! 

246 


THE  CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

But  all  his  twistings  were  of  no  avail,  for  the 
poor  sailor  lad  was  soon  fastened  to  his  back 
with  a  rope  of  seaweed.    Then  the  creature  was 
released  from  his  chain,  given  a  blow  on  the 
side  with  a  whip  of  shark-skin,  and  turned  into 
the  wilds  of  the  under-waters. 
For  half  an  hour,  the  fish,  frightened  at  his 
burden,  fled  at  lightning  speed  over  the  roofs 
of  the  city,  and  sped  on  into  the  lonely  plain. 
Then,  ceasing  his  mad  flight,  he  tried  again  to 
shake  himself  free  of  the  sailor.    He  turned,  he 
leaped,  he  dived,  but  all  in  vain,  for  the  sailor 
was  securely  fastened  to  his  back.    Terrified 
anew,  with  a  swift  motion  of  his  great  fins,  he 
shot  violently  to  one  side  and  rushed  on  and 
on  into  the  dark.    All  that  long  night  he  fled. 
Toward  the  morning  of  the  next  day,  however, 
the  sailor  managed  to  work  one  arm  free,  and 
draw  the  cutlass  from  his  waist.    With  this  he 
made  short  work  of  his  bonds  and  rolled  off  the 
fish's  back.   The  great  animal,  delivered  of  the 
weight  which  had  lain  upon  it,  rose  on  the  tip 


247 


THE   FIRELIGHT   FAIRY  BOOK 

of  its  tail  and  shot  madly  toward  the  surface, 
and  the  sailor  tumbled  through  the  waters  to 
the  bottom. 

Weak  and  hungry,  the  poor  young  seaman 
gazed  about  in  the  half-gloom,  and  found  him- 
self on  the  lower  slopes  of  a  sunken  mountain 
rising  from  the  ocean  floor.  In  no  direction 
could  he  find  a  sign  of  the  City  under  the  Sea. 
Hoping,  however,  to  see  better  from  the  moun- 
tain's top,  he  decided  to  climb  it.  Strange 
plants  and  shells  lay  in  the  crevices  of  the  weedy 
rocks,  schools  of  bright  fish  fled  past  him  like 
living  arrows,  and  huge  crabs  scuttled  away 
as  he  appeared.  Suddenly,  lying  on  her  side  in 
a  little  ravine  of  the  mountain,  he  saw  a  ship  — 
the  black  ship  of  the  Emerald  of  the  Sea! 
Weary  and  weak  though  he  was,  it  took  the 
sailor  but  a  moment  to  clamber  aboard,  and 
hurry  past  the  broken  masts  into  the  captain's 
cabin.  A  steady,  green  radiance  shone  in  one 
corner  of  the  weedy  room,  and  hastening  to- 
ward it,  the  sailor  found,  at  last,  the  Emerald 

248 


THE  CITY  UNDER  THE  SEA 

of  the  Sea.    The  box  which  had  enclosed  it  had 
rotted  away  and  fallen  apart. 

"Victory!"  cried  the  sailor,  "victory!  The 
emerald  is  mine  at  last,  and  I  shall  save  mv 
father." 

He  took  the  great  jewel  from  the  broken  box 
and  rested  it  in  the  cup  of  his  two  hands.  How 
it  glowed  on  the  pale  flesh!  Then,  thrusting  it 
mto  a  pocket  and  holding  onto  it  with  one 
hand,  he  hurried  out  again  to  the  mountain- 
side. 

In  the  world  above,  it  was  high  noon,  and  the 
level  rays  of  the  sun  beat  deep  into  the  green 
waters.    So  bright  had  the  slope  become,  that 
the  sailor  lad  felt  sure  that  he  could  not  be  far 
from  the  surface  of  the  waves.   Moreover,  if  the 
mountain-top  rose  above  the  waters,  it  would 
form  an  island  in  the  upper  world.    And  so, 
indeed,  it  was.    Climbing  on  toward  the  top  of 
the  mountain,  the  sailor  first  scaled  a  steep 
cliff,  and  at  the  top  of  this  he  found  a  gentle 
slope  of  sand.    The  sun's  rays  now  illumined 

249 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

the  water  so  brightly  that  the  air  seemed  only 
a  little  distance  away.  Presently  a  beach-crab 
ran  nimbly  away  from  beneath  the  sailor's  feet. 
The  water  grew  very  much  warmer.  The  shore 
was  at  hand !  A  few  steps  more,  and  the  young- 
est son  emerged  on  the  beach  of  a  beautiful  isle. 

Half-blinded  by  the  sun,  he  walked  toward 
the  dry  land.  There  he  found  some  delicious 
fruits  growing,  and  a  rippling  brook  of  crystal 
water.  He  ate  and  drank,  and  his  strength 
returned. 

Himself  again,  the  sailor  took  the  Emerald  of 
the  Sea  in  his  hands,  and  cried, — 

"By  the  power  of  the  Emerald  of  the  Sea,  I 
summon  here  the  two  elder  princesses  of  the 
under-waters,  and  my  two  brothers,  their  hus- 
bands!" 

There  was  a  sound  of  far  thunder  under  the 
clear  blue  sky,  and  a  moment  later,  four  heads 
rose  out  of  the  waters,  and  shaking  the  salt 
spray  from  their  eyes,  the  princesses  and  the 
brothers  walked  through  the  shallows  to  where 

250 


THE   CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

the  sailor  was  standing.    Now,  the  princesses 
were  very  much  frightened  when  they  beheld 
the  sailor  holding   the  all-powerful  emerald, 
and  falling  on  their  knees  before  him,  begged 
him  to  forgive  their  misdeeds,  and  not  to  take 
away  their  loved  ones.    Tears  fell  from  their 
golden  eyes,  and  mingled  with  the  drops  of  the 
salt  ocean  still  coursing  down  their  black  scales. 
As  for  the  brothers,  they  would  have  hurled 
themselves  upon  the  sailor,  had  not  the  magic 
force  of  the  emerald  prevented  their  approach. 
"Be  merciful  and  forgive,"  said  the  younger 
of  the  sisters.    "After  all,  had  we  not  caused 
you  to  be  spirited  away,  you  never  would  have 
found  the  emerald." 

'Yes,  that  is  true,"  said  the  sailor.  "My 
brothers  shall  decide  for  themselves.  Break, 
then,  the  spell  which  binds  them  to  the  under- 
waters, restore  to  them  their  memory  of  the 
past,  and  if  then  they  choose  to  remain,  I  shall 
not  try  to  lead  them  away.  Reverse  the  spell!" 
"That  is  easily  done,"  said  the  elder  sister. 

251 


THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

"Let  them  but  touch  the  food  or  drink  of  the 
upper  world  and  their  memory  will  return." 

And  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  the 
sisters  offered  the  enchanted  brothers  water 
from  the  rivulet.  When  they  had  drunk  of  it, 
both  the  brothers  became  pale  as  death,  their 
eyes  opened  wide,  and  they  stared  as  strangely 
as  men  suddenly  waked  from  sleep.  Then,  see- 
ing their  younger  brother,  they  ran  to  him  and 
threw  their  arms  about  him,  and  asked  a  thou- 
sand questions  about  their  father  and  the 
quest  of  the  emerald. 

The  golden-eyed  brides  watched  them  with 
sad  faces,  and  finally  broke  into  quiet  tears. 
Imagine  their  joy,  when  their  husbands  re- 
turned to  them  and  bade  them  be  of  good  cheer. 

Thus  was  true  love  found  to  be  mightier  than 
the  mightiest  spell. 

Now,  when  the  princesses  of  the  sea  had  dried 
their  tears,  the  sailor  and  his  brothers  took 
counsel  as  to  how  the  Emerald  of  the  Sea  might 
be  brought  to  the  King  in  time  to  save  their 

252 


THE   CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

father's  life.  You  may  judge  of  the  sailor's 
horror  when  he  discovered  that  because  of  a  bad 
error  in  the  calendars  and  clocks  of  Sixes  and 
Sevens  (a  city  he  had  visited  in  his  search  for 
the  emerald),  the  life  of  his  father  had  been 
forfeited  to  the  King  three  days  before! 

But  now  we  must  return  to  the  poor  merchant 
himself. 

All  the  third  year  the  poor  man  had  lain  in  a 
small  cell  in  the  royal  dungeons,  waiting  anx- 
iously, oh,  so  anxiously,  to  hear  the  quick  step 
of  the  sailor  son  on  the  winding  stairs  just  out- 
side his  prison  door.  But  the  year  came  to  an 
end,  as  you  know,  without  his  return.  For  the 
third  and  last  time,  the  castle  guards  led  the 
poor  man  before  the  King.  Now  the  King  had 
never  forgiven  the  merchant  for  the  loss  of  the 
jewel;  his  chagrin,  indeed,  had  increased  with 
the  years,  and  he  was  very  glad  that  he  could 
at  last  take  his  revenge. 

"Have  you  found  the  Emerald  of  the  Sea?" 

253 


THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

said  the  King,  harshly.  He  stood  erect  on  the 
steps  of  his  judgment-seat,  arms  folded,  eyes 
fixted  in  a  fierce,  black  frown. 

".No,"  said  the  merchant  quietly. 
Then  you  shall  seek  for  it  yourself, "  cried  the 
King.  And  he  gave  orders  that  the  merchant 
be  tied  hand  and  foot,  and  tossed  into  a  little 
boat  without  food  or  drink,  and  then  sent  adrift 
to  die  helplessly  in  the  lonely  seas.  And  so  this 
awful  sentence  was  carried  out. 

Bound  hand  and  foot,  scarce  able  to  roll  from 
side  to  side,  the  merchant  lay  motionless  in  his 
little  craft  and  stared  up  at  the  blue  sky. 
Presently  a  merciful  sleep  overcame  him,  and 
while  he  slept,  a  wind  arose  which  swept  the 
little  boat  along  with  it. 

Meanwhile,  on  the  beautiful  island,  the  sailor 
and  his  companions,  stunned  at  their  discov- 
ery, began  preparations  to  return  to  the  under- 
waters. Just  as  the  twilight  fell,  all  walked 
together  to  the  margin  of  the  darkening  sea, 
and  advanced  into  the  waves. 

254 


THE  CITY  UNDER  THE   SEA 

Suddenly,  the  sailor,  whose  eyes  were  the 
keenest,  saw  a  little  boat  rapidly  drifting  ashore. 
Now  caught  in  a  current  of  the  shallow  beach, 
it  drifted  sideways;  now  propelled  by  the  rising 
tide,  it  floated  on,  bow  pointed  to  the  shore. 
The  sailor  hurried  toward  it  and  seized  it. 
Suddenly  he  uttered  a  ringing  cry!  The  old 
merchant  lay  on  the  floor  of  the  boat.  He  still 
lived,  for  they  could  see  him  gently  breathing. 
Lifting  him  up  tenderly,  the  three  sons  carried 
him  to  the  shore,  unloosed  his  bonds,  and 
brought  him  back  to  life. 

Now  when  the  merchant  was  himself  again, 
the  sailor,  through  the  power  of  the  emerald, 
caused  the  waves  to  carry  a  great  ship  to  the 
island,  and  on  this  ship  the  three  sons,  the  two 
princesses,  and  the  old  merchant  returned  to 
the  merchant's  country.  All  landed  secretly, 
however,  for  they  knew  that  the  angry  King 
would  seize  them  if  he  knew  of  their  return. 
And  so  it  came  to  pass  that,  one  night,  shortly 
after  the  homecoming,  word  was  brought  to  the 

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THE  FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

sailor  that  the  King  had  heard  of  the  merchant's 
escape  and  was  sending  guards  to  arrest  the 
merchant  and  his  companions. 

It  was  almost  midnight  when  the  sailor  lad 
received  the  warning.  Taking  the  emerald 
with  him,  he  advanced  to  a  window  by  the 
ocean,  and  cried  out  over  the  moonlit  waters, — 

"  Waters  of  the  Sea,  rise  and  overwhelm  the 
palace  of  the  King! 

Now  the  King's  palace  stood  apart  by  itself 
on  a  tongue  of  land  running  far  out  into  the 
tide,  and  soon  the  rising  waters  were  flowing 
over  the  marble  floors  and  pouring  in  through 
the  windows.  One  by  one,  the  lights  in  the 
thousand  rooms,  touched  by  the  waves,  hissed, 
sputtered,  and  expired.  The  servants  of  the 
palace,  one  and  all,  ran  away  pell-mell,  and  left 
the  dark  castle  to  its  fate.  Little  by  little  the 
advancing  water  crept  from  the  walls  to  the 
balconies,  from  the  balconies  to  the  towers, 
and  from  the  foot  of  the  towers  to  their  very 
tops.    Finally,  all  the  moon  could  see  as  it 

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THE   CITY  UNDER   THE   SEA 

shone  upon  the  flood  was  the  weather-vane  of 
the  highest  turret  of  all.  You  should  have 
seen  the  little  waves  ripple  and  break  about 
it!  And  finally,  even  the  weather-vane  disap- 
peared under  the  black  waves. 

Locked  in  his  secret  treasure-room,  opening 
the  jewel  coffers  one  after  the  other,  the  King 
remained  quite  ignorant  of  the  disaster.  For 
some  time  no  sound  reached  him  in  his  hid- 
den retreat,  because  the  door  of  the  treasure- 
room  was  very  thick  and  strong.  Suddenly  he 
heard  behind  him  the  sound  of  falling  water, 
and  turning  toward  the  door,  beheld  streams 
of  water  gushing  through  the  passages  between 
the  door  and  its  frame.  Horror-struck,  he 
watched  the  door  burst  from  its  locks  and 
hinges;  a  roaring  cascade  of  cold  sea-water 
came  pouring  into  the  room,  and  a  moment 
later  the  whole  castle  crumbled  and  fell  to 
pieces. 

Now,  when  the  King  had  met  his  deserts,  the 
people  of  the  country,  who  greatly  respected 

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THE   FIRELIGHT  FAIRY  BOOK 

the  merchant,  offered  him  the  crown;  but  he  re- 
fused it  and  conferred  it  on  his  two  elder  sons. 
Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  the  country  had  two 
kings.  Each  brother  in  turn  reigned  for  six 
months  of  every  year,  and  spent  the  other  six 
under  the  sea  with  the  golden-eyed  people  of 
the  waters. 

As  for  the  sailor  lad,  he  sailed  the  sea  for  many 
years,  and  finally  married  a  pretty  niece  of  the 
Witch  of  the  Sands.  Then,  like  all  sailors,  he 
went  to  the  country  to  live.  His  house  is  built 
of  gray  stone,  ivy  climbs  over  it,  and  apple 
orchards  lie  beneath  its  windows. 

And  they  all  lived  happily  ever  after. 


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